Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
He’s eying that cool looking pinata egg with sweet Easter treats inside it!
Another one of the neat events at the Atlanta Zoo was the Easter treats for the animals. We were able to get front row viewing at the Orangutan Easter egg hunt. It was super cute. There was a Mommy with a little one which the girls thought was adorable.
The Easter Eggs were made of jello and placed throughout the pen, pinata eggs full of special treats, leaf baskets with goodies, and cardboard cutouts with peanut like substance on the back for the orangutans to enjoy. They had a lot of fun finding and snacking on their treats. Even the baby found some. They had paper garland hanging up which the orangutans enjoyed moving and playing with as well.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) and Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
An edible Easter egg in the tree and one on the rock in the background….waiting to be found!
Swinging out to get the Easter garland
Oh yeah, this eggs mine!
Climbed up on top of the platform for this pinata treat
Enjoying the goodies inside the pinata Easter egg
Holding the cardboard cutout of the bunny rabbit and licking the treat off the back of it
Hanging out near the hammock picking up and eating eggs, delicious!
Look closely, he’s got a green jello egg in his mouth
Momma and baby
Sitting in the shade – Mom and Baby (the baby is not really little, but obviously still under its Mother’s care)
Mom and baby kisses
Licking the goodness off the back of the cardboard Easter egg decoration
Mom and baby looking for some more treats
The baby wasn’t too sure about everything at first so it stuck near its Mom at the beginning of the Easter Egg Hunt
The baby is getting brave. He is climbing the pole to get the Easter basket, with a little Chick, and goodies.
Made it, now to grab it and head back down.
The Mom watched the baby climb, get the treats, and bring them back down. Then she took the items from the baby and ate them herself, ha! The baby did get some treats, but Momma Orangutan got the first dibs!
Rearranging the Easter Garland in their pen.
Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Lioness pacing on her rock
We had a blast seeing all the animals on our recent trip to the Atlanta Zoo. We arrived just as the Zoo opened in the morning and stayed until closing. The kids loved seeing all the animals, the activities, and special events. It was a busy, packed, and fun day together. We walked all over the area of the zoo several times over. The morning was a little cooler, but it was very comfortable by mid-morning (not too cold or hot). You can read more about our adventure on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog post.
The two lionesses were playing and pouncing on each other while we were there. They were so fast we weren’t able to get a non-blurry picture of both of them together. It was neat to watch them playing around instead of just sleeping on their rock.
Better watch out….
Tiger giving himself a bath.
Out for a stroll
The seal was catching the fish they were throwing at them. You can see the fish right in front of him.
Karlie and Brina learning about snakes.
Karlie having fun
Learning more about this little turtle
Curled up and watching people as they go by his cage
Brina fascinated by all the animals
What’s in this one!?
Karlie and Mommy having fun at the Atlanta Zoo
Me and my girls! They are growing up so fast. Thankful for these little adventures together as a family!
Brina was always good a spotting the animals really quickly, not sure how she does it so fast!
The snake was following the heat from Karlie’s hand
Jake and his girls at the Atlanta Zoo
Jake is always so good about explaining and showing the girls different pieces of information about the animals. The snake is acting like it might try to strike Jake’s hand through the glass in this picture, but it never did.
The bear brought this branch with leaves on top of the platform so he could eat it by himself without the other one bothering him.
Fun times!
They loved learning about all the different wildlife.
Love my family! Grateful for the opportunity to hang out at the Atlanta Zoo for the day!
Such a rough life…. They look so cute and cuddly.
This is a “Tanuki” it is very timid and doesn’t come out very often per one of the zoo workers that we asked. We walked by its cage multiple times and never saw it out until almost the end of the day. It gets spooked easy so it is not visible very often.
How does your Mom carry you!? Silly girls – Brina and Karlie
Karlie loves brushing the farm animals. She is currently on her way to brush another one.
Brina talking with the zoo worker about goats and asking questions. He was really nice and pointed out several different types of goats and characteristics of the ones near her.
Brina and Karlie brushing one goat. Lots of TLC for this Mamma goat. They always love the interactive animal adventures.
The giraffe is eying us while the ostrich was too busy eating to give us any attention
Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Our family at the Atlanta Zoo!
We surprised the girls with a long weekend trip to Atlanta, Georgia over Easter weekend. They were very excited to go explore the Atlanta area. We are members of our local zoo so we were able to get into the Atlanta Zoo at a discount which was really nice. The kids love animals, learning more about various ones, interacting, and so much more.
Since it was Easter weekend at the Atlanta Zoo the animals were getting special treats to enjoy for the Holiday. The new Amphibian & Reptile Exhibit also opened the weekend we were there as well. There were a lot of people at the zoo, but it was so big we had plenty of time do see and do almost everything (some things the kids enjoyed it so much we did it again).
Pink Flamingos were hanging out peacefully near the entrance to the zoo
So excited….Karlie and Brina! They have their maps out and are ready to GO!
The birds were sleeping peacefully all together on one branch.
It was a little chilly when we first got there in the shade at opening, but no one was complaining!
Birds of all colors
Brina soaking it all in. She loves animals.
Playing around in the water puddles.
Karlie smiling as she quietly watches the birds and little kids.
Meerkat’s roaming around in their pen.
There is always one Meerkat on watch (or guard) for predators
They gave the Meerkats a pillow case stuffed full of hay, little bugs, and special treats. They were a little timid about it at first, but before long they were all taking turns going into the pillow case and digging out their special treats.
Are you done yet! Hurry up and get your bug so I can get my turn inside the Easter treat sack!!!
They look cute, but serious. Look at those claws on this meerkat! Yikes!
Rhino heading out into the sun after getting some sticky mud on itself to protect it from a sunburn.
This rhino was moving the stick around and chewing on it. Must of had something tasty on it.
They drew flowers, easter eggs, and bunny rabbits with chalk on the rocks in the Zebra’s pen.
The warthogs got hard boiled and colored Easter eggs for their special treat. They both found the first one about the same time.
Someone found the purple Easter egg!
The elephants had Easter eggs that had a jello consistency that they place in baskets made of leaves. This elephant just discovered the basket of leaves and is moving it out of the way so she can eat her jello Easter egg.
Whole lot of elephants! They had a huge pen and sometimes if you couldn’t see them on one side you had to go around to see them in a different section.
Jake and his girls exploring the Atlanta Zoo
Beautiful bird
Brina found Big Bird’s Nest!!! HA!
My two little chickies in the huge nest!
Karlie thought the nest was hilarious!
First Lego League (FLL): State STEM Lego Robotics Competition
So proud of the girls and their teammates! They won a Judges Award Trophy at State!
Last weekend we had the privilege of going with the girls to State STEM Lego Robotics Competition. The competition is called FLL or First Lego League! The state competition was in Columbia, South Carolina and they had to be there by 7:45 am on Saturday morning. It was a full day, but it went by quickly. The kids had several presentations in front of the judges as well as three rounds with their robot completing various tasks. In between they had the opportunity to trade swag with other teams and doing various other activities.
There were 60 teams participating at the event. They were competing alongside a variety of great elementary and middle schools from around the state. Even with that many teams and their first time at State they ended up bringing home a Judges Award trophy for the Rising Star. The kids were so excited!
Both the kids and their coaches have put in countless hours of research, programing, practice and more since October. Thankful for a great team of coaches who volunteer their time after school twice a week to help mentor and encourage these kids to learn. There are 4 faculty members from the kids school who help – Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Ponder, Mr. Moore, and Mrs. Husso. They have truly been an amazing blessing to these kids!
The quote the coaches gave at the beginning of this club year was – “It’s the hardest fun you’ll have!” It is hard work, yet a great way to learn not only about STEM, robotics, research, but also how to work effectively as a team. Proud of the team and coaches for all they were able to accomplish this year so far and looking forward to the fun things they have in store for the remaining meetings this year.
One of the few times all 4 of us are matching (well 5 if you include Skipper who was not cooperating for the picture). Jake and I had team shirts too! 🙂
Solar SySTEM in the parade at the beginning of the event!
First robotics map round!
The kids were troopers and had great attitudes all day with all the activities, events, presentations, and more!
Cheering and clapping for their team!
The coaches put together goody bags for the kids to trade with the other teams at State! Lots of good loot. Not sure if our girls came home with many items that were originally in their bags!
Listening intently to Coach Johnson’s instructions for an upcoming presentation.
The kids designed and decorated their table displays, posters, presentation props, and more.
Hanging out for a few minutes in between events with Coach Ponder!
They had a few moments in between to relax a little and even play a game with friends.
Ready for the next event!
Watching closely!
There were a lot of people at State FLL
Waiting for the awards to be presented!
Their team number was drawn to come up in front of every person and team at the FLL Competition! They did a great job. Karlie was the first one to answer a question in front of a huge crowd and she was so excited about her project she wasn’t nervous talking with a mike in front of a very large crowd!
They won a trophy! WOOHOO!
Way to go! Solar SySTEM team with 2 of their coaches.
Yay! It was a great day for the team!
Love the FLL trophies! They are made out of legos! Very neat!
Slogan and shirt designed by the kids! “Stay in Orbit!”
Flashback Friday: Sweet Girls (13 Months)
Sweet girl!
Today’s Flashback Friday brings us back to 2006 when the girls were just over a year old – 13 months. It was amazing how quickly the first year flew by. It is hard to think that they are now 10 years old!
Having fun!
Karlie trying to eat the “ice cream” (which is actually a bubble container) while Brina checks it out! Curious and exploring new things!
All smiles!
Travel & Vacation: Kids Wilderness Explorers Program at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Learning about the Wilderness Explorers program!
While at Animal Kingdom the girls participated in their Wilderness Explorers program. It was a great having a chance to stop at the various stations throughout Animal Kingdom, get a sticker, and learn about a variety of educational animal topics. They quickly figured out that they just needed to look out for workers wearing the Wilderness Explorer uniforms (brown, tan, and orange). They wore the orange bags with stickers. In order to get their sticker for that activity they had to participate in an activity and / or listen to a presentation.
It was fun and educational. The only thing that we had problem we had was occasionally with missed a sticker because we couldn’t find the worker. This is a wonderful program especially for kids who can read or enjoy learning about various animal educational items. You can get a Wilderness Explorer book, your first sticker, an explanation, and a Wilderness cheer.
Looking through their Wilderness Explorer books to check where we need to go next.
Learning about a variety of animal sounds!
Standing in front of the Tree of Life looking through their Wilderness Explorer packets!
Heart Reflections: A Talking Donkey?
Recently I was reading the devotional book with the girls about the donkey in the Bible that talked. Several days later as I was going through a decision process in my own life I was again reminded about the talking donkey. If you have prayed about something for so long God will give you an answer even if that means being as direct (like a talking donkey) to get your attention.
Other times it may come from Scripture:
Often times after weeks of praying you can come across a verse during your quiet time that hits home. You have been praying earnestly for an answer and on that particular day and at that time He gives it to you through Scripture. He knows exactly what you need and when you need it. You may have read that verse many times in the past, but it really struck a chord on that specific day and time.
Or it may come from people in your life:
I don’t know about you, but a donkey has never spoken to me, however, God has used people in my life to speak truth to my heart. Sometimes they speak truth not even knowing the situation I am currently facing. God uses their words of encouragement to help answer my prayer.
School Projects: Science Current Event Articles
The kids recently did a school project for Science Extra Credit. They had to compile a variety of science current event articles. The articles were cut out of current local newspapers, Wall Street Journal, magazines, and more. They read the articles, glued them to construction paper, and wrote a summary about each one.
The articles were on the following science categories – Animals, Electricity, Plants, Space, and Weather. All the subjects are ones that the kids will be studying this year in school. The kids had one week to put together all their articles for science extra credit. The girls worked on their articles every day after homework, before school each morning, and even gave up some of their free time to do more articles.
We are so proud of how hard they worked all week. By the end of the week they learned a lot about the various science subjects they will be studying in school. They did more articles than we realized too. Between the two girls these are the number of science articles they completed in one week:
- Animals – 9
- Electricity – 7
- Plants – 8
- Space -10
- Weather – 8
Way to go kids! Thrilled that they love learning so much! It will benefit them throughout the entire year!
School Projects: Southwest Region Native American Pueblo House
Southwestern Region Native American Pueblo House Project
Karlie recently did a Social Studies project for school. She was studying about the Native Americans and the different regions. Karlie picked the Southwest Region and the pueblo house for her project. She had to make a pueblo house and write a paragraph on how the lodging benefited them.
Even though the girls are both in the same grade and have similar projects they rarely chose do to the same thing with their projects! The great part about them being so different is we have more opportunities to learn while doing various school projects. For this particular Social Studies Project Brina did the Great Plains Region with Tepee housing and Karlie chose the Southwest Region with Pueblo housing.
Putting the final touches on the pueblo house!
Karlie‘s Southwest Region Pueblo Paragraph: Southwest Pueblo Native Americans used pueblo houses that were made of harden clay. They lived in a village and their houses resembled an apartment building on mesas. The pueblo housing was beneficial to their way of life because the mesas helped cool the houses and protect them from sand storms. You can fit a lot of families into a pueblo apartment building. It is easier to help each other out because they were all together during bad weather or other hard times. In their village they grew corn, beans, squash, and cotton to help feed their families. All the people in the village worked together hunting, farming, and raising their families.
Karlie putting her title and name on her project!
Jake and Karlie put together this neat Pueblo House with items we had in the garage!
Pueblo Construction:
- Flat Pieces of Scrap Wood
- Wood Glue
- Speckled Paint
- Wooden Dowels
- Cotton Balls
- Markers
They took flat pieces of scrap wood from various wood working projects and glued them together to create this Pueblo house. The house has three levels. Once all the pieces are glued together and the glue has dried they attached the house to a flat board with wood glue. After the structure was put together we sprayed the whole pueblo with speckled paint (you can get this at Home Depot or Lowe’s). It ended up taking two coats of spray paint in order to get it covered well. The ladders are made out of small wooden dowels. The top windows and doors are cut out, but the other ones are drawn on with marker. The cotton balls represent the cotton the Southwest Region Native Americans grew in their fields. Inside the house on the top level there is a fire and a mat for sleeping.
Pueblo house is finished and ready to go!
We didn’t paint the back of the Pueblo with two coats of paint, but this picture gives you a glimpse at the top inside which has the 3D fire and mat for sleeping. The little storage “cubby” (as Karlie called it) with the paper in it on the lower left is where Karlie stored her written paragraph and ladders during transport to and from school.
Karlie so proud of her project! It was a handful to carry into school!
School Projects: Great Plains Native American Tepee Home
Great Plains Tepee Project
Brina recently did a Social Studies project for school. She was studying about the Native Americans and the different regions. Brina picked the Great Plains Region and the tepee for her project. She had to make a tepee and write a paragraph on how the lodging benefited them. On this Social Studies project Brina did the Great Plains Region with Tepee housing and Karlie chose the Southwest Region with Pueblo housing.
Making her designs on the tepee!
She finished the Native American designs on her tepee! Looks good!
Tepee Construction:
- Cereal Box
- Old White T-Shirt
- Elmer’s Glue
- Wooden Dowels
- Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun
- Markers
Cut a cereal box into a semi-circle. Use Elmer’s Glue and attach the T-Shirt to the non-print side of the cardboard from the cereal box. Once the glue dries use the markers to create your own special Native American designs on your tepee. Cut out the door to your tepee. Hot glue the wooden dowels to the inside of the tepee. Once the glue dries stand the tepee up and hot glue it to the poster board. To help your tepee maintain its shape you can use rubber bands around it as it dries in place.
Brina’s Great Plains Paragraph: The Great Plains Native Americans used tepees because they were very transportable. They used the tepees so they could follow the buffalo and other animals while hunting them. Their main source of food was buffalo meat. The tepees were light weight, transportable, could be folded up, and carried to the next spot. they also used the tepee poles to carry buffalo meat. The tepees were shelter during the nights for the families and transportable when they were trying to find food. The tepees were a valuable tool used to help feed their families.
Brina’s social studies project ready to go!
She was so excited to hot glue her horse and a folded up tepee on her poster board!
Her tepee turned out well!
Brina was super excited about the fire because Jake used his 3D printer to make it for her project!
Awesome learning lesson about the Great Plains Native Americans and their transportable home – the tepee! It was a great project!
