A Little Bit of Everything in One Day

Friday, we went to Roper Mountain Science Center, for Homeschoolers Day.

We had a BLAST!

I found it a bit odd the layout of this place.  It has three buildings over a small campus.  Many of the lessons are in classrooms, unlike the one we're use to in Pittsburgh.

The pond at the butterfly garden.

Marine Science Lab.
Touch a stingray.

Touch a Horseshoe Crab.

Learning more about the horseshoe crab.

Touch a Marine Hermit Crab.

Touch a Sea Urchin. 

Glowing Jellyfish.

A friend?

A real Diamondback Terrapin (after seeing a bronze one on our turtle walk).

The Ecology Lab.

Raccoon fur, paws, scat, skull, and facts.
They had more doors like this one.

Touch  various parts of an animal.

Outside the classrooms in the hallway we found ...

By, Pumpkin

By, Pumpkin

By, Fireball Coyote

By, Fireball Coyote

Out in another hallway, leading to more classrooms (we didn't make it to), is ...

Comparing actual sizes of a giant sea turtle above.

Female Mammoth.
(actual size)

Giant Sloth.
(actual size!)

Baby Blue Whale.
(actual size)

Into the Rainforest Habitat.

Learning about Exotic Rainforest Plants.

"Monkey Cups"
from the 

Tropical Pitcher Plant.

Cocoa Tree.

The exit.

A bus ride to our next stop, the Planetarium.
(Of course we need to sit in the back for our first big yellow bus ride!)

Both weighed themselves.

Fireball Coyote.

Pumpkin.

The entrance and a 30 minute wait.

"Mommy, I'm bored!"

 When we went in we saw

 the Spring Constellations, a "Walk" thru the planets,

and a MARS Rollercoaster "ride". (BIG HIT!!)

Now on to the Symmes Hall of Science.

We learned about germs in the Anatomy Classroom.

 Then moved to the Weather Lab.

Made tornados.

 Physics Lab.

Straw Rockets.

Launching a rocket or the shuttle?!?

 Then on to an Engineering Design Challenge.

 Pop into the Observatory to see the sun!

Actual telescope that was mentioned in Orson Wells War of the Worlds!

 After being there for 5 hours went to our local library

 and watched the movie We Bought a Zoo.

LOVED IT!

Today,

was Saturday Science Lab Day.

They learned about Birds of Prey.
Received a hollow egg to put in vinegar & watch what happens.
Binoculars to look for birds and a sticker book to work on for the summer.

 Then they decided to set up a bigger fish tank.