Yes, please, do not take them to the ZOO! I would really spoil your day and inprint bad memories to kids.
They made a big mistake with overall layout and desing there. Completly other way around. Visitors should be in protected cage with very dense net ( so cant throw out any object ) and animals should run around.
Bamboo Temple for the carvings, quiet surroundings and vegetarian food.
Golden Temple for the walk and the succulent glasshouses around the back, but might need to keep them out of the tower (could be a dangerous climb for kids that young).
Jiaoye Gongyuan for a random wander in artificially landscaped nature with the squirrels.
I second Voltaire on the Bamboo Temple. He mentions 'the carvings', but it might be added that he's referring (I think) to the sculptures of the 108 (I think) Lohan, with all their varied scraggly superlong arms & misshaped heads & riding birds & so forth & other various oddnesses, which kids of the age you (OP) mention should find delightful. At least when it's not crowded (hasn't been when I've gone), it's indeed quiet & peaceful, set amongst a lot of nice trees. Entirely likely that you (OP) will like it as well. And the veggie food is pretty good.
Where is Jiao ye gongyuan?
Haigeng has a temporary water park going up. Doesn't look very safe. Not any deep water, just the plastic slides don't look super sturdy. Keep an eye on them or tell them go it slow. There is also a regular amusement park too.
Lake Dianchi - walk around the lake, blow bubbles, maybe take a boat ride (but do NOT touch the water). Nearby is the Hongta Sports Center (?) - but you'll need a car, bus schedules, or know how to call taxis or better still - the uber-china drivers (better service, less spitting, hacking, and smoking, not to mention courtesy).
Green Lake inside - eat at The Park in the center of the Green Lake Park - some amusement rides and games (I think) like bumper cars (but maybe NOT for unaccompanied minors).
The prolific movie theaters with kiddie focused movies.
OUTSIDE Kunming - there's a difficult to find international youth hostel - and nearby is a large park with lots of kiddie things to do - more blowing bubbles.
Wild animal park on the NE edge of kunming.
Kunming Zoo. Despite the detractors - it's inexpensive enough for many rural people to visit, has a rather expansive amusement park in the center of the park (on top of the hill) and there's a MacDonalds inside. Yes the people are grubby - but they're not well trained in the art of litter management, spitting, hacking, smoking, and personal space invasion. Adults from western developed countries will be appalled - but the kids probably won't notice if this is their first visit to the zoo...and any other zoo in any other developed country will be a major improvement for your next zoo visit.
FuXian Lake - beautiful clean water lake - kids can wade - but be vigilant! Sea food, Hilton Hotel nearby if money's not an issue, for their lunch buffet.
You can also pick up some inexpensive kites and go fly at the larger parks - just be prepared for kite-eating trees and overhead power lines - trees not so much as the cold snap radically pruned many of them.
Finally - for the ultra low-budget - any of the major shopping malls - there are abundant toy stores - some even have samples that kids can demo - just make sure they don't try to ingest product.
Michael's post: if money's an issue there are other places to eat; plenty of kids have grown up here, and some western adults have gotten used to things and will not be appalled. Haven't been to the zoo for quite awhile, but I don't remember the people as being particularly grubby.
The zoo is a mixed bag in my opinion. Some (but not all) of the animals are obviously in environments that are too small for their wellbeing, but others are OK. The people who go there are normal people.
I wasn't lucky when I was in the zoo then. Kids were throwing plastic bottles into tigers cage and some adults also threw wooden sticks from shao kao they had just finished eating.
There was no body to stop them.
Lots of mess around as well . It was 2y ago, so I dont know if its better now.
@ Alex: yeah, that should be controlled.
