Aquarium Bound

The day after Valentine's Day, the kids were out of school. So, we planned a fun trip to the Tennessee Aquarium. Once a month, Kalyn gets to be "Top Banana" in her class which means she gets to bring in a show and tell item, be the teacher's helper and lead the lines wherever they go. The teachers like it if the show and tell matches the letter the class is studying that week and her week's letter was T. So, we decided to do a book filled with Kalyn and pictures of various T items at the Tennessee Aquarium. (We knew getting a season's pass would come in handy.) We thought it would be fun and we had a great time.

Kalyn's book included pictures of her in front of tanks, touching animals (such as sharks, butterflies, stingrays and smelt), with Trinity, and looking at tree frogs and turtles. She was so proud to take in her book on her special day. Plus her teachers gave it an "A+".

We tried not to make the trip all about Kalyn. We made sure that everyone enjoyed the trip.

After watching the otters frolic around for a bit, one of the aquarium employees came up and asked if anyone wanted to feed the otters. Our kids jumped at the opportunity. So, they were each handed some smelt and threw it over the viewing wall.

The petting tank filled with stingrays and sharks is always a lot of fun. The trick is trying to keep a little bit of Kalyn's sleeve slightly dry during this excursion. Kalyn was able to even touch one of the elusive sharks - a rare treat!

Unfortunately, the butterfly room was not as active as it has been in the past. It took a while, but we finally found a butterfly willing to be held. So, each child got to have it sit on their hands.

We love being able to watch the divers in the huge tank is so entertaining and educational. The kids gets to ask questions while the divers tell about life around the aquarium.

We headed home after a full day. What a great day of memories.