Aquarium of the Pacific

We decided to become members this year at the Aquarium of the Pacific. We found last year that almost every zoo we visited it was more worth our wild to invest in a membership rather than pay admission for the three of us.  If we visit any location more than once it pays for itself in just two visits.  

One of the great resources Aquarium of the Pacific has are these amazing Scavenger Hunts.  Anytime I do a field trip packet I always go through and pull anything that can be done prior to our visit.  This helps to introduce and lay a foundation for Jaxon to what he will be learning.  We started out with the K-2 Grade and took them with us on our first visit.  On our second trip we did the 3-5 and with the exception of a type of mad lib Jaxon was able to complete both levels.

With Aquarium of the Pacific I would suggest getting a map ahead of time and familiarizing yourself with the Aquarium.  Each Sheet has a title at the top which determines the exhibit you need to go to complete that page of the scavenger hunt.

Throughout the aquarium are stationed educators who talk to the children and teach them facts about the animals.   In this case we learned that the horse shoe crab has blue blood and is actually considered a dinosaur. 

We always enjoy having some form of a challenge to help us keep focused as we visit the aquarium.   

The Post Visit is a set of activities we did at home and a wonderful way to review what you have learned from your visit to the Aquarium. The one featured below was titled Tangled in Trash.  We stretched a rubber band across the back of Jax's hand from the thumb to his pinky.  You can twist the rubber band to make it fit tighter if you need to.  Then we explained that he was a marine animal tangled in trash.  I then asked Jaxon if he could free himself of the trash without using his mouth, other hand or any other part of his body.  This was one of my favorite activities so many projects for his age are arts and crafts that I really enjoy finding activities that make him think.

I also occasionally find great ideas on pinterest that save until I find a time that they fit in.  I had found this one and saved it for a good year now.  I found it through EAdventures with Kids.  I absolutely love her ideas and constantly find my self wandering through her pinterest.

Owl Moon

While studying Owls we read the award winning book Owl Moon along with the National Geographic Readers Owls.  Now that Jaxon's ability to read has made leaps and bounds I try to incorporate his daily reading into more interesting topics like science or social studies.  Yet I still maintain his story time where he gets to enjoy having a book read to him.  

As owls seem to be a hard animal to see at a local zoo we turned to Lindsay Wildlife Experience and their Private Animal Encounter.  Currently Jax's has taken numerous homeschool science classes through Lindsay Wildlife and they have exceeded our expectations each time.  This being said we were very excited to see what they had to offer with a private experience.

We began our tour in the classroom with a Great Horned Owl.  This was an amazing opportunity to see such a majestic animal up close and learn about their characteristics.  The visit was a great educational experience as we were able to see his eye and neck movement at a very close range.  We were able to observe him eating during the entire presentation.  Jaxon had very mixed feelings about the owls eating habits.  

We were then led outdoors where we were given a fantastic opportunity to see a barn owl in flight and learn more about how they live in the wild.

Lindsey Wildlife Center has a great educational program for all ages.  During our visit they shared with us their knowledge of owls their characteristics and habitats.  The half hour went by so fast I wish we had went with the one hour program instead, maybe next time.

A majority of our owl study was learning the facts about different owls which I obtained from the Thematic Unit on Owls.  Below are some examples from the book.  I also try to incorporate things that he can play with that relate to our studies.  The Safari Animals have come in handy during a lot of our animal studies.  

Jaxon had been working hard on memorizing all the owls and I wanted to find something interesting and fun to incorporate into our Owl Studies.  As a child one of my favorite memories of studying owls was dissecting owl pellets.  So I did some research and found the perfect solution The Student Owl Pellet Kit.  It included three pellets, tweezers, magnified glass, and Bone Sorting Guide.  It was the perfect size for one child. 

When he found the skull in tact with teeth he could barely contain his excitement!  I'd say our Owl study was a success!

I can Draw Animals

I have always been amazed at my grandmothers ability to paint.  It is something I never took an interest in when I was young and I wish I had.  During her last visit I asked her if she would spend some time with Jax teaching him some basic techniques using the book I can Draw Animals.  Jaxon has always had an interest in art.  Having the opportunity to observe them working together make me wish I could freeze this moment in time.  It's a moment we take for granted when we are young and as adults we all wish we could have captured more of these moments.

Jaxs chose to draw a lizard which he felt represented his relationship with his great grandmother.  During our visits to her house she has gecko's living wild in her house.  Jaxon has always loved watching them climb the walls.  

We spread out the lesson over a duration of three days.  On the second day she taught him what a background was and they painted their backgrounds.  

The last day they painted their geckos.   

While painting their Gecko's Jaxon completely fell apart crying that his painting was not how he expected it to look and it was not good enough.  Now came a greater lesson to be learned,  art is personal.  It is only what you see through our own eyes that matters. "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."  (Joseph Chilton Pearce)  One of the hardest lessons in life is to be happiest with ourselves and to let go of others judgements upon us as individuals.

Introduction to Art

We were lucky enough to be able to take a docent guided tour Introduction to Art while visiting the San Diego Museum of Art.  I say lucky because I have found that it is extremely rare for any art museum to be willing to give a single homeschool family a tour.  

Our Docent was astounding.  She kept Jaxon's attention the entire hour and kept him engaged.  She combined knowledge of history with knowledge of art. 

As they sat together she helped him learn that art was about looking closely at the individual piece in front of you.  By being able to have the confidence to express his own ideas and thoughts while appreciating art.  By teaching him to dissect a piece of art with his own eyes by connecting it to the past, other cultures, and life itself because art is about so many different levels of emotion.  It is opportunities like these that give our children the chance to learn and develop the skills they need to succeed not only in the art world but in life itself.

Roar and Snore

Roar and Snore Safari

We truly showed up with no excpectations just the excitement that we were finally able to do something we've been talking about doing for over a year now.  We were greeted by Jayme and an amazing animal meet and greet.  To be honest during our stay anytime we saw Jayme we knew our experience was going to be fantastic.  His enthusiasm was absolutely over the top fun!

After we were escorted in we were whisked away on our next adventure.  For seasoned safari park guests this was the African tram.   For everyone else the African tram is a guided tour that comes with your admission to the park.  The ride takes you on a paved path around parts of the African exhibit.  

We then headed to our tents with just enough time to change and head to dinner.  We had chosen the premium tent which was fully equipped with electricity, fans, heaters, a queen bed, and two cots.  We were located in Tent two.  Which had a stunning front row view of the African plains.   I could have sat on the porch all night just watching the animals roam.  Of course, that plan would not include an energetic six year old.  So we moved on quickly to dinner.  

After dinner we met up with Jayme again for another fantastic animal meet and greet. 

Our last stop before bed was a behind the scenes tour of the lions camp.  We have never done a behind the scenes tour through the safari park, so when I heard where we were headed it peeked my curiosity.  We went through the keepers area and learned how they fed and cared for the lions.  After, we were able to go to the back holding area to see the lions that had been in for the night.  There are two groups at the lions camp.  Each day the keepers rotate them giving them the ability to spend time in the open enclosure.  Tonight the Mother and Father were sleeping in the back quarters.  It was very dark and hard to make out any detail of the lions.  You were able to feel the presense of the lions size as you listened to them breathing deeply.

Soon our tour was over and we were led back to camp where we enjoyed s'mores around the fire pits and then off to bed!  By that time we were all very tired as we crawled into bed dreading our 6:15 wake up call. As I lay there at night the sounds of lions roaring was the most amazing experience that I could never have anticipated.  It had never crossed my mind that this would be one of my favorite moments during our safari adventure.  

The next morning came all to quickly our first wake up call was at 6:15 am with an announcement that we could venture down and visit both the Elephant and Lion exhibits.  Our first stop was for a cup of coffee then, we quickly changed and headed eagerly down to see the lions that had serenaded us through the night.  

They were still roaring when we arrived! It was such a awe-inspiring experience to see the lions and how the powerful roar from deep inside is delivered in such a magnificent, beautiful manner.

After we walked around a bit we headed back to camp to grab breakfast before we met our new guide who escorted us to to an animal encounter.  During this encounter we met a tawny frogmouth one of the oldest ambassadors of the Safari Park.  

Lastly we headed to the tigers exhibit to observe them.  I would like to express that the guide we had in the morning did not meet up to the standards of anyone we had interacted with the night prior and I believe our experience would have been completely different had we had him the night before.  He did not interact with the children at all and seemed to be standing behind us counting down the minutes until he would walk us to the entrance.  It was a sad moment as the high from the previous night quickly dropped into straight boredom, as we anxiously awaited for the tour to end.  

Our last activity of the day before heading home was not included in our roar and snore camping trip but was offered to us as an add on.  The Campers Caravan was the perfect ending to a phenomenal experience.  Jaxon had just turned six back in February so it was one of the tours we had yet to take.  We traveled in the back of a covered safari truck out into the Africa enclosure.  

This gave us the great opportunity to be able to feed a giraffe up close.  

This is a one-of-a-kind experience.  We had been at other safari camping trips in the past but none have equalled the excitement and organization we encountered at San Diego Safari Park.  It is the closest I have ever come to being on a true african safari.  Maybe one day I'll make it to Africa but,  I am not sure if the sounds of the lions at night would make me as comfortable.

Climbing the California Tower

The California Tower recently opened to the public for the first time since 1935 . When you purchase California Tower tickets you also receive all day admission to the Museum of Man.  This was an added bonus for us since we had been wanting to look around the museum for future visits.  We were so excited to be able to experience this historical tour.  The building was constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and has remained an icon ever since.  The Tower and Dome covered in carvings and beautiful tile reminded me of a Alcazar I would have found during my time spend in Spain.  Once we climbed the tower we were able to take in 360 degree views of the entire city and beyond to Mexico.  

Prior to beginning the tour we were all a little nervous of what to expect.  Once we began the climb we immediately knew we were more then capable to climb to the top.  Each time we climbed a flight of stairs we would stop and learn a piece of history prior to climbing the next flight.  This helped keep the attention of all age levels,

The last set of stairs you come to is a spiral staircase which you are only allowed to climb one at a time.

The view was well worth the climb!

Shadowland Foundation

As we began our study through the continent of North American we turned to Shadowland Foundation to learn about wolves.  Prior to our visit we read three books to lay a strong foundation of basic knowledge.

1.  National Geographic Kids Wolves

2.  National Geographic Kids Mission Wolf Rescue

3.  Journey: Based on the true story of OR7

As we approached the gates at Shadowland Foundation the sound of the wolves howling silenced our entire car, it was an awe inspiring sound that could never be explained in words. We all sat silent listening to the howls that were mentally chilling from pre-conceived notions.

We booked a private two hour educational program.  During this program they educate all ages on the story behind their foundation through videos and stories.  The story of Shadow was a touching story that brought me to tears as I watched the video. This tour exceeded my expectations to be able to walk away fully understanding wolves behavior.  Their interaction with each other and communication as a pack was truly an amazing experience.  

When you visit shadowland and meet everyone you immediately get a sense of their passion for these majestic animals.  

When we met Freedom her eyes were so overpowering there is no way I could capture it in a photo.  I tried but was unsuccessful.  The spirit within these animals is spellbinding.

We learned about where they live, why they howl, in addition to, other factual information about wolves during our visit.

We left with a better understanding of how highly social and intelligent the wolves are.

Columbia State Historic Park

The "Stories of the Past" have brought us on an educational journey to Columbia State Historic Park.  To not only discover the clues left from long ago but, also giving us the opportunity to compare the differences from the past to the present.  

We decided to fully immerse ourselves in the experience by staying in one of the parks historic cottages in Columbia.  It was the perfect location for our visit, being located only one block off the main street.  Our Cottage was fully equipped with a kitchen, which made it convenient when the entire town closed down at 5:00 PM every night.

The Stories of long ago, gold rush days were brought to life by one of the most phenomenal park rangers we have ever had the pleasure to meet.  Our forty-five minute scheduled Town Tour that was provided by Friends of Colombia seemed to end too soon as she entertained us with her enthusiasm over each small detail of the past and how life was once lived.

One of the advantages when you take the town tour is it takes you to areas of the park that are normally closed off to regular visitors.   Our ranger had a way of explaining the towns history in a way where you no longer felt like you were being told a story but were experiencing first hand what it would be like to live in the gold rush era.

Wells, Fargo & Co. Express Office

Columbia has a great Passport Program for adults and children alike.  This program is a multiple choice scavenger hunt that took us to areas that we would have passed by without ever even knowing they were there.

Located in town was Quartz Mountain Stage Line we jumped on board as they transported us back in time on an authentic stagecoach ride.

There was even a HOLD UP, while we were on our stagecoach ride. Thankfully we got away unscathed! 

We made a stop by Hidden Treasures Gold Mine and took their one-on-one panning lesson. The lesson gave Jaxon the tools and knowledge of what it took to pan for gold during the Gold Rush. 

Once Jax's took the educational panning lesson he was able to pan for gold as much as he wanted to through out the day.  He soon found the frustrations that haunted many gold miners from the past and the patients it took while searching for gold. 

Another part of our lesson plan during this trip was for Jaxon to identify the differences from schools of the past to the present.  To make our daily school work more exiting we decided to purchase a slate and chalk from the local  Bookstore and do all of our school work as they did in the past.  

We had a wonderful visit to Columbia State Park and we will be sure to return soon.

Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Our Caterpillars have arrived from the Insect Lore and we are all very excited to watch them transform into butterflies!

We have been observing them everyday as part of our morning daily work by using these great science journals.

During our study I found some age appropriate books that Jax's was able to read himself.  The Books made it possible for us to combine his reading time with science.  Here is a list of the books Jax's read ...

1.  Born to Be a Butterfly

2.  Busy Butterflies

3. Very Hungry Caterpillar

4. Caterpillar to Butterfly

5. Caterpillars and Butterflies

6. From Caterpillar to Butterfly

After about one week they started crawling along the top of the cup.

By the end of that evening they were curled into a "J" position.

By the following morning they had transformed into Chrysalises.

We waited four days for the chrysalis to fully harden before transferring them to their new home. 

In addition to reading numerous books about butterflies we also included activities to learn about the butterflies and their life cycle.  Below we used playdough to recreate each cycle of the butterflies life.

Our Butterfly Kit included a seed packet to plant your own Butterfly Garden.

Since we had planned a trip and our butterflies had not hatched yet we hit the road with our traveling butterflies.  We were lucky enough to have them entertain us during our six hour drive as we observed them emerging!

Once we arrived to our hotel we found a perfect garden to set them free.

There are no words for the beauty of a child discovering nature!

Who is Monet?

When we discovered Monet's early years was going to be on exhibit at the Legion of honor, we decided to take full advantage of the learning experience.  We discovered, discussed, and expressed our understanding of Impressionism and Claude Monet.  Below I listed a couple of the books that helped us through this process.

 Getting to know the World's greatest Artists: Claude Monet

Linnea in Monet's Garden

After reading our books and discussing we began exploring the technique of impressionism.  Jaxon and his good friend Roro (AKA Rose) my fellow helper in educational fun and all things artsy, sat down and painted their own individual representations of a impressionist style paintings.

We arrived at the Legion of Honor with excitement, this would be Jaxon's first audio tour of any type.

After we finished Monet the early years we set out to find Monet's water lilies located in the main exhibit hall.

The next day we headed to Young Art Lessons at our local mall.  Young Art offers drop off lessons for children on any subject or just art in general.  They were able to teach him how to paint with the techniques of Claude Monet's Impressionism.

Jax's enjoyed the entire lesson and I was quite impressed with the painting that he created during his one hour lesson.

Time for a Change!

Recently since Jax's turned six he has been taking classes with a lot of older kids.  The "cool" kids he says "have awesome hair"!  Of course he doesn't want to be like the little kids anymore he's "growing up to be a big boy" he has made a point to remind all of us constantly.   So I made him an appointment with my hair stylist and off we went.  I gave him and her full control. 

I just did not imagine how much he would change in less then an hour. 

My young boy is growing up to be a handsome young man. ❣️