Field Trip - Part 2

These are the rest of the pictures from Kaelyn's field trip to the Environmental Learning Center.

 

There was a small shark in this tank that everyone is gathered around here.

 

Showing the kids how to hold the different creatures from the touch tanks.

 

 

 

 

Kaelyn holding a water porcupine - just kidding!  :-)   I think it was actually one of the pencil urchins.  I looked at the picture and the sea urchin in her hand reminded me of a miniature porcupine.  Obviously, those aren't quills though and it didn't hurt to hold it.  :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spider crabs were the weirdest feeling things to hold.  They do not pinch (obviously since they were in the tanks for the kids to hold) but they did feel kind of funny when they moved on your hand.  I tried and tried to get Kaelyn to hold one but she wouldn't have anything to do with them at first.  I held one first to try to show her that they woudn't hurt her.  Mrs. Wakefield and I finally talked her into it and she kept it in her hand just long enough for both of us to get quick pictures of her holding it.

 

This is Joey.  No, it wasn't the woman that was named Joey if you were worried.  It's the alligator that she is holding.  :-)

 

 

Sergio, Kaelyn, and Manny looking at Joey.

 

 

I don't remember the sea turtle's name, or if he even had a name for that matter but he LOVED raw squid - can I get an "EEEWWW!!!" from someone, like Mama maybe?  ;-)  The guide went and got pieces of raw squid to feed to the turtle.  As she threw the pieces in the water, it would find them instantly and chomp down on them quite forcefully.  Let's just say that I would hate for one of those guys to mistake my finger for something edible.  She had the kids stand with their hands behind their backs while she was feeding it.  It was really cool to watch though.

 

 

After we finished at the environmental center, we went to a park at a beach in Stuart for lunch.  The kids got to play for a bit after lunch and then we went down to the beach.  They were each given a small bag so they could pick up pretty shells or other [natural] things.

 

When you're seven, most shells are pretty enough to pick up and keep.

 

 

Kaelyn rode with me most of the time on the bus to and from the different places but on the way home she asked me if it would be okay if she sat with Ross.  :-)  It looked like they fell asleep on the way back to the school but I'm not sure if they did.  They were ALL so worn out by the time we got back!