Our California Adventure 2011 part 1

Disneyland for the holidays!!  What a wonderful surprise for my kids.  We picked them up early from school and just kept driving.  By the time we got to Idaho they were all wondering where we were going but we just said it was a shopping trip.  As the sun rose up over the hills in the early morning we were already in California.  The warm breeze and palm trees gave that away instantly, however they still had no idea where in California we were headed.  Our first "fun stop" was to La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.  This was an excellent introduction to our homeschooling journey.  We learned A TON!!  I remember visiting the tar pits as a child and always loving it, but forgot just how much you learn. 

As we explored the museum I noticed the kids were quite interested in the teeth of the animals.  It gave me the idea to discuss the difference between herbivores and carnivores.  We did a scavenger hunt through the museum to find and classify the herbivores and carnivores.  Later, on the drive down to San Diego the kids made vacation journals where they drew and labeled all the carnivores and herbivores they found.

After searching for herbivores and carnivores, we discussed predators and their prey.  This led to a hunt for predators and a critical thinking activity of what their prey might be. 

This is a giant ground sloth, prey to a saber tooth tiger.

Finally, we had the opportunity to have a private lesson from a docent in training about tar, the properties of tar and what the native Americans used tar for. We were able to explore ancient artifacts that were found made out of tar.

Next stop, Anaheim!!