Friday, March 1, 2013

Monterey Bay Aquarium Field Trip

On Tuesday we packed up the family and headed out on our long-awaited field trip to Monterey and the aquarium there.  We signed up for it in the fall.  It was a free day for homeschoolers, hooray!  Emma and Sarah have been studying Swimming Creatures all year for science, so this was like the culmination of all their work.  They have been asking every day if it was time for the aquarium yet.
Due to some previous kid camera usage episodes, the camera wasn't working well and I was frustrated with it, so I left it to Annie to document our trip.  The following pictures were taken either by her or by Emma.  No small children were allowed to touch the camera, and won't be for ever and ever, until they are old enough to not destroy the zoom feature.  

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We elected not to bring a stroller, so this was a common mode of carrying the boy.
Shortly after we arrived in Monterey, like before we got out of the car, Sarah declared that she felt sick.  We thought maybe it was carsickness, as the drive was 3 hours.  But it didn't pass and instead of enjoying her long-awaited day, she lay like a lump on a bench.  And I regretted the decision to leave the stroller at home.  



         
Howard left to go get some Tylenol from a nearby store, while the non-sick kids played around near the tide pool area.  The wave you can stand in was very popular.  Additionally, security brought over a wheelchair for Sarah and a bio hazard bag, in case her fever made her toss her cookies. 

hidden fish
Thanks to the Tylenol and some lunch at Johnny Rockets, Sarah was feeling well enough to walk on her own!  She even explored in the kid area. 
We were able to attend a show/class about jellies.  Howard may or may not have fallen asleep.  Afterward, we saw some sea turtles and sharks.  There were three kinds of sharks in the tank, with two kinds of tuna, yellow and blue fin.  The turtles combined with the jellies left us talking like Crush from Finding Nemo.  Righteous!  

The tank with animals who repurpose trash for homes was quite interesting.
Annie really liked the sign in this one.
Sand dollars can be purple when they are living.  The dead ones found on the beach are called tests and aren't shells at all. 

This little guy was just awesome
Laura and Adam had a blast in the kid area.  Plus, there were bookmarks to stamp.  That is what Adam is holding.  They may have collected about 4 bookmarks apiece, which are now floating around the car and my purse.  





Some of the kids spent most of their time in the tide pool, touching all the sea creatures they could find.  Annie spent most of that time gazing into the bay, wishing she brought Grandpa's nice camera (I am mean and told her to leave it at home) She did manage to capture these glimpses of the surf. 


After we left the aquarium we went for a stroll, then drove to Lover's Point and walked on the beach.  We were able to see some surfers riding the waves.  We also saw limpets and barnacles on the rocks.  Everyone is now convinced that we need to move to the beach and take surfing lessons for PE.  If only....

All things considered, it was a pretty good day.  A big thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for opening their doors to homeschoolers throughout the state.  If this is offered again next year, we will certainly make it a priority.

4 comments:

Karen said...

Gorgeous! You got some great pictures. I miss the ocean!
BTW...I love Adam's boots.

Helen & Bill said...

Loved, loved, loved the photos!
Someone is developing into a great photographer.

Katie Bell said...

I feel deceived about the sand dollars. Thanks a lot public education.

Patty said...

How fun!!! Monterey is a great aquarium- wish we had one like it close to us (not so easy being so far from the sea!) So glad you and your family were able to go and have a great time.