We were headed on a field trip with Mark and Addie's class. Their enterprising teacher had opened the year with a unit on sharks. They were very knowledgeable and as a reward and hands-on learning experience they headed to a local aquarium. I had intended to take my kiddos there for over 2 years but between babies and morning sickness had not felt up to the excursion, so I was happy to volunteer as a chaperone. We all went because it sounded super cool!
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| Feeding the sharks and eels seaweed they got braver and put their hands in the water where the fish could actually get the seaweed. |
Turns out it was very interesting. Our tour guide made the experience 10x better. He explained the fish and their habits, he gave the kids food to feed the fish- they were very leery of feeding sharks from their fingers but it worked out okay. I'm glad we waited for the school trip. Alone it would have been fast and frustrating to have spent that much money for such a quick experience after the long drive.
The biggest draw was the electric eel tank. The kids fed them seaweed and then spent about an hour intermittently petting the eels. The eels eventually came around flapping- almost high-fiving the kids. It was pretty exciting. The eels stingers were removed so it was a safe happy activity.
The iguana came out last. The kids were mesmerized by his scaly skin and his size. They were mostly brave in touching him, and some real courageous kids even tried to feed him some vegetables provided by the aquarium staff. All in all it was a fun educational opportunity and a great way to spend some time with my kiddos and their friends.
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| A tide pool replica complete with anemone, star fish, prawns etc. |
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