Review/ Dallas Zoo Giants of the Jurassic

The dinosaur scales & spiked 'BIG' sign teases at the entrance. The girls couldn't resist striking a pose :)

Perched on top of the information booth, this nest is super impressive. Such a creative presentation!

Don't miss Erth's dinosaur show. Not only are the puppets spectacular, you can touch them after the show and meet the puppeteers backstage. Then visit their pop-up shops to buy cool dinosaur swag. 

So Jurassic Park! The girls and I got a real kick out of this car-crushing dinosaur.

All smiles! She really did love this one.

Meat eater for sure.

Giant claws and teeth. So ferocious!

This one spits just like in Jurassic Park. Thankfully, it only spews water instead of poison. Expect to get wet! 

Dinosaur baby and parent talking to each other. Adorable.

At Picnic Ridge, enjoy digs and interactive games. Pushing buttons at the console animates the dinosaur.

The absolute best? T-rex, of course!!!!

We loved this exhibit. It is not be missed! There is no additional charge to see the dinosaurs at the Dallas Zoo, it is included in your daily admission. For zoo members, it's free! We will definitely be back many times. 

The view from the train is fantastic! Well worth $2/ride. If you are a Passport Zoo member, you get free train rides until the monorail is fixed :)

Because many school groups pack the zoo in the mornings, we arrived about 1:30pm. If you can make it in the afternoon, your experience will be much more enjoyable. Expect mornings to incredibly packed with school field trips by the busload.

The Zoo also has a free dinosaur page with facts dinosaur facts by each species. Learn about the habitat, diet, size, and adaptations for that specific dinosaur. Awesome and educational! Next time, I'll bring a printed copy with us and do a scavenger hunt, asking the kids to identify each.

What an incredibly fabulous day!

Dallas Children's Theater: Charlotte's Web

After the show photo op with Charlotte

Madeline loves to go the theater! This Saturday, we spent some time just us two at Dallas Children's Theater's {DCT} production of Charlotte's Web. It's slightly more expensive than a movie ticket, but such a bargain for the quality of the show and cast :)

This heartwarming tale about friendship and loyalty is truly a classic. Madeline and I both cried during Wilbur and Charlotte's last conversation. When Charlotte's natural life cycle ends, the theater went absolutely silent. Never has such a kid-packed venue been so quiet! As Charlotte's babies were born, the place erupted into excited squeals.  

The actors were phenomenal! Madeline's favorite characters were Fern and Charlotte. I thought the whole cast was wonderful - but my favorite was Templeton, the rat. His over the top dramatics were HILARIOUS.

Run time was approximately an hour and a half. This was the first kids performance we've been to with an intermission. Still, the entire show kept the children's attention.

An amazing perk of attending DCT's productions is taking photos with the cast after the performance. The actors also signed programs with the name of their character. What a special opportunity to see the actors up close and in costume! Madeline made sure to tell each actor that she enjoyed their performance.

Wilbur

Gander and Goose

Little Lambs

The program noted that several of the child actors were homeschooled! Madeline didn't seem too interested in taking drama classes or trying out. For now, she's content enjoying the productions from the audience :)

In the meantime, DCT is wrapping up their season. And we can't wait for the 2014 - 2015 schedule!

Field Trip: Lavon Farms {Lucky Layla Dairy} Tour

Living in the city, it's easy to forget where our food comes from. But yesterday we had the amazing opportunity to visit a working diary farm! Tour cost was minimal, only $3 per person.

Lavon Farms produces raw milk and yogurt products from Jersey cow milk for Lucky Layla. A third generation family business, their operations have been ongoing since the 1930s. Their facility and beautiful Jersey cows were very impressive :)

In comparison to cattle raised for beef, dairy cows look much different. Dairy cows are much more slender with large udders.

The cows looked well cared for, extremely clean, and happy :)

A tour guide spoke to our homeschool group overlooking the milking area. We were able to view the cows being milked and ask questions about the process. The entire group is milked in about 20 minutes! Setup and cleanup actually take more time than the milking.

Did you know that one dairy cow can produce enough milk to feed their baby and up to three more? If you nursed a child, you know how important it is to nurse on a schedule! Likewise, dairy cows area milked twice a day - everyday - to ensure they stay healthy and don't develop mastitis or other conditions from all that milk.

Fresh milk is naturally warm. So the milk immediately heads to a cooling system. Cooling the milk prevents the growth of bad bacteria. The farm does not pasteurize their milk, so keeping the mild cold is an important part of their process. I personally don't drink cow milk at all {raw or pasteurized} because it makes me very sick! But the girls do love their cow milk :)

Because of regulations in the state of Texas, raw milk can only be sold at the farm where it is produced. They keep a small storefront where their fresh, raw milk is sold.

Once the cows are milked, they exit the milking area and walk out into the pasture. There is plenty of room to roam, about 200 acres.

When the kids came to fence, the cows seemed equally curious
about the children.

After being milked, the cows headed in the direction of the pasture. But the kids captured their attention, and the cows seemed to stop and watch the children for a bit. Eventually, they began to roaming the pasture and forgot all about us :) 

At the end of our visit, I bought the kids some Lucky Layla drinkable yogurt. Just $3 for 2 drinks, a bargain and farm fresh! Flavor choices were blackberry, blueberry, and pina colada. Everyone headed to the picnic tables and enjoyed their treat. The products are full fat, so rich! 

Madeline finished ALL her blackberry drinkable yogurt

Sophie loved the little container. I had to promise not to
put it in the recycle bin so she can use it later :)

Before taking the tour, I was unfamiliar with Lucky Layla products. But having toured the Lavon Farms facility, I definitely want to shop local and support my neighbors!

Do you live near any farms? Have you toured them?

Field Trip: Scarborough Renaissance Festival ~ Student Day Review & Tips

Who loves Student Day at Scarborough Renaissance Festival? Discounted admission, super-sized fun! Sophie {age 3} never got fussy or bored, which is pretty amazing since we were there from 10am to 3pm. That's a long field trip for her!

Still all smiles before the turtle race at 1:30 pm

Would we go again? Absolutely. Was it perfect? Not exactly. Here's the info you need to know for your visit:

THE ARTISAN DEMONSTRATIONS
Tip:  Don't be afraid to ask the vendors questions!

This was our primary reason for attending. There were tons of booths. Some of the vendors seemed a bit shy but really lit up when asked about their crafts.  

The place is laid out like a mini city! 

Storefronts, tents, booths ~ every nook and cranny had something interesting. But no matter how we tried, it was impossible to see all the artisan demonstrations.

Quite a few were selling their wares, but not demonstrating their process. That was a bit disappointing for an education day.

The artisans we did see were awesome though! We enjoyed watching the jeweler making medallion necklaces and the chain mail fabricator. They were very friendly with the kids and really took the time to educate them on what they were doing, why, and what the end result should be.

THE STAGE DEMONSTRATIONS
Tip:  Be sure to arrive at the main stages at least 30 minutes early.

This is really important for the larger demonstrations like knife throwing and jousting! Or else your kids will be crowded out and won't be able to see.

Even though the jousting was exciting, it was hard to hear them. I'm assuming they weren't wearing microphones. But the champions really got into character! There was even some lighthearted trash-talking by the squires prior to the champions entering on horseback.

THE FOOD
Tip:  Bonus savings, you can bring in your own food 

only on Student Day.

Do it! I purposely did not pack our lunches to save having to lug them around. What a mistake! I waited in line for baked potatoes for over 30 minutes and just gave up. Instead, the kids feasted on fresh pretzels from a roaming vendor.

A woman sitting at our picnic table waited in line for a turkey leg for almost 2 hours! She gave up too.

What's really sad is that we missed the knife throwing demonstration because of the long lines. The pizza line had at least 50 people, so there was no way I even attempted that one. The food booths need a major prep and function overhaul! 

The small cooler I packed with drinks was completely gone by 3pm. All in all, we downed 8 half bottles of water and 4 juice boxes.

THE SOUVENIRS

Tip:  Set a cash budget and stick to it.

It's easy to see all the unique offerings and want to buy everything. But it can really add up. Take cash to help stay on budget!

For their one special souvenir, the girls chose these little dragon pets. We actually saw them not far from the entrance, but Madeline wanted to see what other products were for sale before spending her -- ahem, my -- money! To me, they look a lot like Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.

Loving her dragon pet!

You can't see it well in the picture, but each dragon had little leather saddles with metal rivets. Such a creative way to embellish those little dragons! The bodies are flexible and can be curled around your wrist, leg, or just about anything. Madeline even slept with her dragon curled around the frame of her bunk bed :)

It glows! And isn't the little leather saddle cool?

FREE CURRICULUM GUIDES

Study the Renaissance with these FREE resources from the Festival.

Art Appreciation Teachers
Drama/Theater Teachers
English/Language Arts Teachers
History/Social Studies Teachers
Math Teachers
Science Teachers
Download the Original Curriculum Guide Here

Field Trip: Scarborough Renaissance Festival {Demonstrations and Rides}

Renaissance times have never been so much fun! Yesterday we spent Student Day at Scarborough Festival. It's quite an experience, and you absolutely cannot see everything one day.

One artisan demonstrated how to use a weight on a crank to create stamped jewelry. The desired plate design was placed over the medallion, and then a ginormous weight was used to pound the plate design into the medallion.

Artisan demonstrating stamped
medallion necklaces

Just for Student Day, he created inexpensive $5 designs from a penny :)  Madeline wanted the Star of David but he had at least 50 designs. Now I wish I'd bought one for myself, too!

Artisan's assistant cranking the weight.

The most popular demonstration...jousting!

Four champions competed and ours executed all the preliminary skills perfectly. But another champion won the final round. It was fun cheering nonetheless.

A rival champion

The eventual jousting winner!

There were so many demonstrations and shows. No matter how hard we tried, we didn't get to see all the artisans. There were soapmakers, candle makers, glass blowers, chain mail fabricators, costume designers, stain glass artists, and the list goes on...Plus shows for knife throwing, birds of prey, storytelling, and more.

Want to try fencing and show your sword skills?

Sports weren't just limited to the demonstrators. Attendees could practice fencing, complete with leather apron and mesh face gear. Balloons were attached at the shoulders and above the head. If all your balloons were popped, you were eliminated. Surprisingly, Madeline preferred watching the fencing more than the jousting.

Fencing practice

All the rides were human powered.

Madeline took a whirl on a couple non-mechanized rides. All the 'swings' were attached to a center pole that was powered by two men! Once all the swings were in motion, one the men would spin the swings around and around. Madeline LOVED it. 

Enjoying a man-powered ride

Madeline was dying to do this ride so I let her. She said it was exhilarating...I think she's nuts. You just slingshot yourself up into the air! She in no way gets her adrenaline junkie ways from me.

Have you ever been to a Renaissance festival? What was your favorite part?

Animals Inside Out ~ Anatomy Exhibit

Madeline just loves science and animals, so we decided to visit the Perot Museum for a homeschool field trip.

We waited until after lunch to head to the Perot. As we were walking  in, all the school field trips were heading back to their buses. It is so awesome to tour exhibits and museums at the least busy times :)

Smiles at the start of the exhibit

The exhibit Animals Inside Out was very interesting. Each animal is painstakingly preserved by the Plastination process, invented by Dr. von Hagens. 

A post at the exhibit entrance stated that no animals were harmed in during the process. But they are all preserved in some fashion, so they had to die by some means...Nonetheless, it was an incredibly fascinating look at the anatomy of animals!

As homeschoolers, we could never hope to amass the collection of specimens in this exhibit. 

So we couldn't let this field trip opportunity pass! Madeline's favorites were the animals that were completely intact or just skeletons. But I found them all fascinating:

Octopus

Shark

Giant squid

Squid detail

This exhibit was amazing, fascinating, and thought provoking! 

Our rating:  5 of 5 stars. Find out more information about the exhibit online at Animals Inside Out.

We just love exhibits, how about you? Isn't it a great way to enrich your homeschool learning? Please share your favorite exhibit you've seen this school year. 

All Dressed Up for the Dallas Opera

Who really knows how to throw a kid-friendly performance?
The Dallas Opera! Tickets were only $5/person, super affordable. Living so close to downtown, Dad dropped us off so we could avoid parking and walking in the cold weather.

The Winspear Opera House couldn't have been more beautiful. 
The chandelier is just stunning! Promise to get a picture of that next time. The individual lights ascended into the ceiling before I could snap a one.

Before the performance, kids could make opera masks, dress up in costume, and try various instruments.

Pictures on the red carpet at the costume station

A turn on the violin at the musical petting zoo

A whirl on the cello. So much fun, we are considering cello lessons!

Madeline was so excited waiting for the performance to start! Ever since she was a baby, she has loved opera music. Definitely inherited her fondness for opera from her Grandpa. He would be so thrilled to have been able to attend an opera with this smiling little face...

Excitement before the performance

My absolute favorite part was when the singers would belt out a crazy, beautiful, powerful, amazing note. And Madeline would turn to me, mouth open in astonishment. "Did you hear that?!?", she'd whisper.

Can't wait for the next family performance!