"Oh Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:24 This past week, we were able to visit the Butterfly Gardens for the first time. It was a lot of fun. The owner took time to share some interesting facts and information with us. Did you know butterflies taste with their feet? Did you know that they are deaf? I didn't know either of these things, but I know them now. She also gave us q-tips dipped in Gatorade, which allowed for us to get up close with the butterflies. We were the only ones in the garden for about 45 minutes, which allowed us to quietly explore and snap some photos. I made each of the boys a notebook page, so they enjoyed working on those too. If you live near me, I'd definitely recommend visiting the gardens. It comes with a price tag, so this will probably only be a yearly field trip for us. ((*$5.25 for adults and $2.00 for children 3-18.*)) Busy working on their notebook pages... The boys made use of the little butterfly pamphlet while they worked. (see image below, left- a butterfly hung out on that q-tip the entire time!) While Mr. Sunshine was working on his page, a beautiful monarch flew up and landed on a flower he had drawn. (see image below, right) So cool! The following photos were taken from a little "maze" that is located on the property- separate from the actual butterfly garden. When we got home, I made each of the boys a notebook page with images of the photos they took. I think they did a great job capturing the beauty of butterflies. The blue collage is Night Owl's and the green collage is Mr. Sunshine's. Thanks for adventuring along with us!
Our school year is set to begin on Monday. In an upcoming post, I hope to share our homeschool space + curriculum choices. Stay tuned!
2 Comments
Mr. Mustard Seed + I kept one top secret surprise while we were on our trip. Those of you who know us best know that our surprise keeping skills aren't all that stellar. But, we actually pulled this one off! (You can high five us later.) After a week at the ocean and a few days in Chattanooga, we made a stop at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. For two boys who've been completely space-obsessed for MONTHS- this was a dream. come. true! They were so surprised and so super excited. The museum itself was huge- so much to see, and lots of interactive stuff too. It was definitely worth visiting! Mr. Mustard Seed + I even received free entry to a bunch of other museums in the US. (Score!) One tiny tip of advice: eat before you go! The cafe was wicked expensive, and I just couldn't justify spending that kind of cash. I turned into a bit of a hangry alien toward the end. :) Ha. They were trying to copy the astronaut's expression. ;) Night Owl's idea for future science: a money tree. Mr. Sunshine's idea for future science: a home on the moon. Memories = love.
Thanks for taking a peek at our adventure. It was a BLAST! Hopefully someday you can visit Huntsville's Space Center, too. Our trip to Rock City Gardens was completely on a whim. It wasn't something we planned on or budgeted for, but I am so glad we went! It was Mr. Mustard Seed's idea, and it was amazing. The place itself is rather historic and has a neat story. It has a nature / troll theme and it's a really neat experience. This was probably the highlight of our entire trip. Have you ever visited a place so beautiful, that the beauty is nearly impossible to catch on camera? That is how I feel about our trip to Rock City. My pictures just don't do justice... it was a wonderland. First, we weaved through some amazing rock trails... up and down... through tiny little squeezes... We saw neat rock formations and so many native plant species. Mr. Sunshine especially enjoyed the plants. We saw neat rock formations and so many native plant species. Mr. Sunshine especially enjoyed the plants. We made it to the Swinging Bridge (which wasn't scary at all!) And the Swinging Bridge led us to Lover's Leap, where we were able to see 7 states! (Tossing a wish into the waterfall) Up next- my favorite part: RAINBOW HALL Each window had a different color pane. When you peek out, you get to see the mountain landscape in each color. So pretty. The next part was a neat little fairyland from the 1940s (if I remember correctly) Everything was lit by a black light, which my camera couldn't quite capture. There were so many fairytales... some were even in their own cave with a glass window. We all enjoyed this! And of course, Night Owl looked for money underneath every soda machine we across! That sums up our time at Rock City.
We hope to visit again someday. Hopefully you can visit too! |
|