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Denver Museum of Nature and Science – field trip

April 9, 2014Written by Joy

One of the joys of living next to a large city, is the many places that you can go on field trips. Denver has a multitude of museums that we can choose from. One of our favorite museums is the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We love it so much, we bought a membership for the family.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has wonderful programs and Imax movies that they play. The one we saw yesterday was the Journey to the South Pacific. It is a beautiful story of a boy growing up in the islands of the South Pacific, discovering and learning all about the sea life that surrounds him. We are looking forward to seeing the other Imax movies they have showing at this time.

Kids at the Shuttle docking game.

Another favorite area of the museum, is the Space Odyssey section. This area covers anything and everything that you want to learn about Space. My kids love to sit at the Shuttle docking game and try to park the space shuttle. I also love the many workers and volunteers that talk with the kids and let them ask any question.

Sarah and Claire checking out the seals.

I think my favorite area is the Wildlife section. They have different animals from around the local area, to the whole United States and even animals from around the world. The kids can read about these animals, look at what their habitat looks like and see what all they eat.

Sarah and Samuel talking about the Walrus’.

While we haven’t seen some of these animals alive, like the walrus and sea lion,

Claire reading about the Bison.

in the area we live in, we have seen live bison,

Samuel reading about the Elk.

elk and deer. In fact, we see these often when we ride through the Rocky Mountains.

Kids reading about animal scat.

We enjoyed this little impromptu field trip. I love going places with the kids like this. There is so much hands on learning and it really does bring education and learning to life. If you ever do get out to Denver, CO, I highly recommend going to this museum.

2014, family, field trips, homeschooling Denver Museum of Nature and Science, field trip, history, homeschooling, science, Space, wildlife

Denver Aquarium ~ field trip

January 31, 2014Written by Joy

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Yesterday, they kids and I went to the Denver Aquarium with some others from our homeschool group. The Denver Aquarium held classes for 3 different age groups, for our kids. My younger kids went to the “Sensational Sharks” class and my oldest went to the class that took them behind the scenes of the Aquarium. They learned all about how the aquarium operates and how they take care of all the fish and animals that live there.

One of the reasons why I enjoyed this aquarium so much, is the way they have everything split up. They have several different exhibits split up into North America, In the Desert, Under the Sea, At the Wharf, The Rainforest, Coral Lagoon, Sunken Temple, Shipwrecked and At the Beach.

The kids and I had a wonderful time and can not wait to go back. I took almost 700 pictures. It was so hard to choose which ones to share with y’all. I hope you enjoy the ones I chose.

The snapping turtle they have, is one of the largest I have ever seen. He was HUGE. I loved watching him, as he swam in the tank.

snapping tutle

They also have soft shell turtles. This one just looked so peaceful as he swam. He just glided through the water.

soft shell turtle

Obviously, since it is an aquarium, they have an abundance of fish. The colors of some of the fish are so vibrant. They are just beautiful.

fish

I have always been fascinated with sea horses. They are very unique creatures.

sea horses

the aquarium also had a lot of different stingrays. They would swim up to the glass and it looked like they watched you as you walked by. We saw one that looked like he was smiling at us.

stingray

The tank with the starfish and sea cucumbers was pretty cool. I didn’t know that the starfish came in so many different colors.

starfish

It was fun to look around at all the different exhibits. Some of the fish liked to hide and keep sheltered by the plants and coral.

fish

My oldest daughter was fascinated with the ones that were hidden. She had fun trying to locate them in the exhibits.

Sarah looking at fish

The younger kids couldn’t get over that the piranha tank didn’t have a lid on it. They were certain that the piranha’s could jump put of the tank. They also noticed how thick the glass was for the tank. They were happy that the fish wouldn’t be jumping out.

Samuel and Claire looking at Piranhas

I think we were all surprised to see the tiger at the aquarium. They actually have several tigers on display, but we only saw one. He was just hanging out, watching everyone walk by.

tiger

Ever since the movie “Nemo”, my kids always enjoy looking for the Nemo and Dory fishes.

clown fish

A highlight of the was the shark tank. I was surprised by the amount of sharks they had AND the size of some of the sharks. They have a few sharks that are up to 10 feet long. The aquarium doesn’t look that big on the outside, but it is fairly large. We were able to watch them feed the sharks. You would think the sharks would have plenty to eat with all the other fish that are in the tanks, but they do feed the sharks with fish that they bring in.

shark

We enjoyed watching the sharks and watching all the other fish. It is really neat to see and learn about the different types of sharks and fish that live together and don’t bother each other.

shark

The jelly fish had tanks of their own. They were beautiful to watch, just floating around.

jelly fish

I am so glad that we were able to go to the Denver Aquarium. I am looking forward to going back again, soon. We have talked about getting a membership, so that we can go as often as we want to. My oldest daughter, also saw that she will be able to volunteer when she turns 17. She is counting down the days, until her next birthday. Yes, I do think this will be a place we will visit often, together, as a family.

Have you been to an aquarium before? What sea creature do you like the best?

2014, field trips, homeschooling aquarium, classes, Denver Aquarium, field trip, fish, homeschooling, science, sharks

Colorado Symphony ~ field trip

November 26, 2013Written by Joy

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I were able to attend a program for kids, put on by the Colorado Symphony. We went to a program last year and loved it, so the kids and I were really excited about the concert this year. Music is a big part of our family and any time we have a chance to experience different types of music, we do our best to attend.

Colorado Symphony

This year, the Colorado Symphony played a tribute to Latin Music, Musica Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas. The conductor, Scott O’neil did an amazing job explaining the different types of beats and rhythm of the songs they played. I was truly excited, because I had never heard any of the composers or songs that the did play.

In the hour long program, they played 7 songs; Alberto Ginastera -“Los trabajadores agricolas” from Estancia, Silvestre Revueltas – Sensemayá, Arturo Marquez – Danzon No. 2, Joaquin Rodrigo – Allegro con spirito from Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar, Traditional – El Mosquito, Jose Pablo Moncayo – Huapango, Alberto Ginastera – “Malambo” from Estancia.

Samuel and Claire waiting for the concert to start.

Once the music started, Scott O’Neil and the Symphony held our attention to the very last note. From the beautiful solos of the guitar and the percussionist playing an all wooden Marimba, the sound was truly amazing. We are truly blessed living in an area, where we can experience the sounds of other cultures.

I highly recommend checking in your area, to see if their is a program like this. It is truly an experience that you soon won’t forget and will be counting down the time, until you can attend another program, like it. I know our family is looking forward to being able to attend another concert soon.

2013, family, field trips, homeschooling Colorado, Colorado Symphony, family, field trip, homeschooling, Latin Music, Marimba, Symphony

Denver Zoo field trip

November 5, 2013Written by Joy

We went to the Denver Zoo last year, about this time and we were finally able to go back to visit. The Denver Zoo is becoming one of my favorite places to visit with the kids. Yesterday, it was a free day to visit and this is when a lot people take advantage to enjoy seeing all the zoo has to offer. They also tend to have more volunteers available for the kids to talk with and ask questions.

The kids and I met up with some friends and headed to the Feline section first. We missed this area the last time we visited, so we wanted to be sure we made it this trip. I always love seeing the big cats. They always seem so quiet and graceful, yet I know they are predators and can be aggressive.

Leopard was waiting for a treat.

After we left the Feline area, we walked to the giraffes enclosure. The last time we saw the giraffes, there had recently been a baby. We saw the baby and several others. They were all out in the little sunshine that we had and was eating away at their lunch.

Giraffe eating lunch.

The next place we visited was the tropical building. Oh boy, that place was so humid, it brought back memories of Florida! It is always neat to see habitats and animals from the place that I grew up. There are also other many animals from all over the world.

Nemo playing peek-a-boo.

The kids enjoyed seeing fish they recognized from Finding Nemo. They saw the Clown Fish and Regal Blue Tang.

Dory just keeps swimming.

The polar bears were enjoying the cooler weather and taking a nap when we were walking by.

Polar bear taking a nap.

We learned a little about the Komodo Dragon that the zoo has. His name is Castor and he is 19 years old. He is having some joint issues and has to take inflammatory medicine to help him move.

Castor the Komodo Dragon taking a dip in his pool.

This crocodile was showing off for us. I loved how big he opened up his mouth. It was like he was telling us that he was big and powerful.

Crocodile showing off his teeth.

One of the great things about the zoo, is they have volunteers that are in different areas, taking the time to teach the kids about the animals. This lady was at the Camel exhibit and was telling the kids about the humps on the camels and why they have them.

Kids getting a lesson on camels.

I think one of the highlights of this zoo trip was the rhinoceros. He was playing with a bucket that was hanging from the tree. He was so funny! He would hit it with his head and it would swing and when it came falling back to him, he would it it again! It got stuck at one time and he got so upset that he could hit the bucket. He jumped up and down and turned around, then hit the tree and the bucket fell loose and he kept hitting it. We had a good laugh watching him.

Rhino playing with a bucket.

I loved this picture of the kids. They were all standing at the sign that talks about the animal. I am not even for sure what animal we were looking at, but they were so interested in it. I loved being with the kids. They were so wonderful while we were at the zoo. They asked questions and were attentive when the zoo workers asked them questions.

Kids looking at some animals.

I am so thankful that the Denver Zoo has free days for people to attend. We plan on going back in a couple of weeks with more friends. We also plan on buying a membership to the zoo. This is a place that I see us going to a lot more.

What is your favorite animal? Do you have a zoo in your area? What do you love about it the most? I can’t wait for you to share with us!

2013, field trips, homeschooling animals, Denver Zoo, family time, field trip, homeschooling

Van Gogh Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum ~ field trip

January 4, 2013Written by Joy

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Van Gogh Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum ~ field trip

My kids and I had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week. We went to the Denver Art Museum to see the Van Gogh Exhibit. It was absolutely amazing. Just seeing the masterpieces that this man painted and sketched, was truly an experience. Vincent Van Gogh didn’t start painting until he was 27 and what he was able to accomplish in those 10 short years with his paintings and drawings, before he took his own life at the age of 37, was truly amazing.

post card of a Van Gogh painting, museum brochure and a book by Sandra Forty called Van Gogh

When we first arrived at the Denver Art Museum, we met up with our homeschool group. We were then lead to the Van Gogh Exhibit area, where we were all handed a headset so we could listen to the audio tour. Above certain paintings were numbers that coincided with the history or story of how that painting came about. The tour talked of how Van Gogh got started in painting and how at different times, different artists inspired him. They told a little about his life, how close he was to his brother Theo and how Van Gogh felt a connection to the poorer folks and people who worked a lot with their hands.

It is so hard to put into words what I felt, as I listened about his life and the connection he had with certain people and how he portrayed his feelings and thoughts on paper and canvas. While he did have happy times, Van Gogh also lived a troubled life. He was in and out of a mental hospital and fought depression often. I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the paintings, but photography was not allowed. If you ever get a chance to attend an exhibit like this, I highly recommend it.

After we left the Van Gogh Exhibit, we went to a section with paintings by Charles Partridge Adams. He was from Colorado and painted landscapes of Colorado during the last 1800’s and early 1900’s. His paintings were gorgeous. He really captured the colors of the different seasons.

Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.

My pictures aren’t all that great because I was taking them with my phone. All I can say is that they are truly amazing and if you are ever in the Denver area, you definitely need to go to the Denver Art Museum to see them. The Rocky Mountain Majesty exhibit will be on display until September 8th, 2013. I am definitely planning a trip back, before this exhibit leaves the museum.

Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.

The last section we made it to before a couple of the kids got to feeling bad was the American Indian Art Exhibit.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

Again, no words to describe the beautiful artwork, bead work, baskets, pottery, textiles that were on display in this area.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

I loved how it talked about how they lived, what they wore and how they survived.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

What hit me the hardest though, was the two pictures below. It is two pictures of The Great Smoky Mountains with Indians walking along the bottom of both pictures. They represent the Indians being led down what was eventually known as the Trail of Tears. This was when the government forced the Indians to leave, to go live on the reservations in the West. Because of that exile, so many lives were lost.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

We didn’t even get to see half of this collection before we had to leave.

I love history and the stories it tells. You can learn so much from history, if you will view it with an open heart and mind. Let’s just face it, some history, you don’t want to repeat itself.

Do you love to read about history? What is your favorite time period in history?

2012, homeschooling art, Denver, Denver Art Museum, drawings, field trip, homeschooling, museum, paintings, sketching, Van Gogh