Valentines Day and Zebras at the Zoo

Happy Valentines day!  (a few days late!)

This is Levi's valentine shirt, made with the only zebra fabric I had on hand, chosen because we got to meet the zebras on valentines day!     I really like this pattern though next time I will make the arms longer.  Levi seems to have monkey arms - I used one size for width and 2 sizes up for length and the arms just fit him in length even though I made the cuffs a little wider!     I'm going to modify it some more to make it work, because the body and shoulders fit him really nicely. 

Embroidery design from Lynnie Pinnie.  This one didn't stitch out quite as nicely as I'm used to with these designs, I'm not sure why but I didn't worry too much for just a valentine shirt. 

He paired it with his "twist and shout" pants.  

Some pre-party crafting: 

We went to the Explorers Club Valentine Party.   He used his metal detector to look for treasure (didn't find any)

And climbed a tree

On valentines day, we went to the zoo.    We got a special invite to see the zebras before anyone else.  The new extension allows you to see the camels, lemurs and giraffes more easily. 

Levi showing off the "love monster" I made him for valentines day.   They gave him zebra ears to wear too!

Jahari (the big male) kept looking at us on the new bridge.  It looked like he was asking us for snacks, now that the new extension goes along the edge of the giraffe area.   Giraffes usually get snacks at the giraffe platform.  

And another giraffe was easily seen

The zoo had a quartet serenade the zebras (both girls)  for valentines day.  They had bouquets of "flowers" made from hay and apples. 

Finally the zebras came out.   They were hiding a bit at first, because they aren't quite used the rhinos who now have to share their enclosure. 

Aren't they pretty? 

More love monsters I made for valentine gifts!  

Happy Valentines Day!

Mrs. Mango's Field trip

We went on a field trip to Mrs. Mango & Co.   

There were chickens running around, so Levi picked one up.  

And a very friendly piggy, and not-so-friendly "duck dog"  (this duck wags its tail and pants like a dog!)

Levi found the prickly ash trees.  The bark can be used to treat toothaches.

He got a honey stick

The kids learned about bees.  Here they are looking at a plant which the bees really like.

Where the bees live.

Bamboo plant

The kids made their own beeswax candles by rolling wax around a wick.

More pics of Mrs. Mango's

The low wall is made from recycled bottles. 

Mega-fauna Sam's House Field Trip

Today we went on a field trip at Sam's House where we had Levi's 6th birthday party.  The theme was "Megafauna" and the kids learned all about the animals that used to live in the area many years ago. 


Tree climbing upon arrival:

Inside the log cabin, the kids learned about land in Florida.   At one point, Florida was just a few small dots of land, the rest was ocean.   During the ice age, Florida was much larger than it is now, so animals evolved to be much much larger.  Then, when the ice melted, Florida ended up around the size it is now, and animals reduced in size.    To demonstrate this, they used foam squares, having the kids stand on them to compare how much space they had when the land was different sizes.   

 Next they made fossils.   The kids pressed clay into plastic bowls, and then used plastic bugs and animals to make imprints.   They mixed plaster of paris and water in a bag and poured it over the top and left it to dry.  

Then, we went over and looked at the Megafauna.   The outline in the picture below is a mastodon.  There was also a giant sloth, and a turtle/armadillo type thing.  

The kids used paint brushes to find the bones buried in sand.  They colored the bones on a skeleton of a mastodon, using a sign to confirm the location of various pieces.    Miss T said this was her favorite part! 

 Then came the real fossils!  These were donated to Sam's House by someone who collects fossils found in the area.   They scooped up sand, sifted, and found fossils and then learned what they were.  

Here is the giant ground sloth - actual size! 

Last, the fossils they made were removed from the bowls by turning them upside down, pressing, and then removing the clay.  Levi painted his snake in a rainbow of colors with purple for the background.  

We really enjoyed our field trip, it was very hands on and interactive keeping the kids engaged, and I think Levi learned a lot!