Yesterday we walked over to the Marine Science Center to learn more about aquatic habitats. It's close by, so we have been there numerous times. However, this visit was different as we arrived with purpose. Alexandra was a scientist for the day. Her assignment was to choose two habitats and study what animals lived there and how they get what they need (water, food, shelter) from their respective aquatic habitat. She chose the touch tank with the sting rays and the (fresh water) turtle tank. We took pictures and she asked questions to gather the information she needed. I make a sneaky book purchase while the children were at the touch tank and used it as the grand prize for the quiz question on the walk home. I asked Alexandra what was the biggest difference between the turtle and ray habitats and the reason why they can't be together... we walked halfway home and I thought she had ignored me, then she said "sting rays live in salt water by the beach and the those turtles need not-salt water". Wow, I was impressed. It turned out to be a very educational, quick and super-fun day together!
This morning we used our new "Field Guide to Florida" by the National Audubon Society to identify the names of each kind of ray and fish in the touch tank and each of the turtles and fish in the turtle tank. We printed a picture of her favorite "funny faced turtle" (diamond back terrapin) and we will glue it in her Habitats book we've been making with a story about the turtle.
This afternoon at co-op Alexandra learned the box-step in her 'History through Music' class and discussed Pocahontas in the 'People in History' class coming home with a paper tepee and coloring page of a period British sailing ship.
It was a beautiful day in homeschool land
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