Inside the aquarium the 1st thing we wanted to see was the sharks! On our way to Shark Realm we stopped at Hippo Haven where we met Buttons and Genny...
After checking out a variety of sharks through large windows like this hammerhead...
and stopping for a photo...
we walked through a shark tunnel!
Our fearless explorers then walked the aquarium's new Shark Bridge...
(Apparently I was the only heroic teacher who didn't need to hold hands with the 3rd graders to stifle a bad case of jitters. You didn't hear that from me, though. *cough, cough*)
Next, we entered Ocean Realm and came face to face with jellyfish...
stingrays, sharks, schools of fish, and a giant sea turtle who came up to say hi...
We even got the opportunity to touch some sharks at Touch-a-Shark. The students exclaimed the sharks' skin felt like "sandpaper" and "leather". I'm leaning more toward a nail file.
We took a few minutes to take some more selfies, first posing with fish faces...
and then making a 3rd grade squish sandwich...
Now, whoever designed Adventure Aquarium was very ingenious. Do you know why??? Because the Shark Realm exit leads into the GIFT SHOP. Have you ever tried telling an 8 or 9 year old that there will be no gift shop stopping??? Well, I can tell you IT. DOES. NOT. WORK. So, we checked out books (ok, I was probably the only one who looked at the books), magnets, t-shirts, keychains, shark teeth jewelry, mugs, and stuffed animals. And took another selfie where we displayed the latest in ocean couture (and the possibility I may have consumed too much coffee before school)...
Afterwards, we were off to Creature Feature...well, as soon as I peeled the boys away from light up noisy laser shooters and slime toys in the aforementioned gift shop. The Creature Feature touch tank was filled with slick, slimy, and all-around cool invertebrates such as starfish and sea urchins.
Caribbean Currents was our next destination. We saw Nemo's friends...
and other cool tropical fish...
Our group headed to Gill's Grotto KidZone a playground under the sea where we saw numerous warm-water invertebrates. One of the most popular parts were these plastic bubbles the kids could pop their heads through to observe marine life...
Another popular exhibit was Stingray Beach Club where students had the opportunity to touch a variety of (you guessed it) stingrays...
We also got to see live exhibits of animals other than marine life such as a frogs, a funny armadillo, and this slithery snake...
Then, it was back on the bus for the ride home...
On a final note, this is what happens after a day of fun...
Ilai said it was the best school trip so far! I can see why! Looooved the pics, thank you! And thank you for being the way you are, way that's shows from those pics-great!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day! The kids had a wonderful time. Thank you for the terrific pictures and for being there for them - always!
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