Poe Springs the Wild Florida You Should See

We have been meaning to go to Poe Springs all summer, but finally got there yesterday. Poe Springs, is located just across the Alachua County line, as you leave Gilchrist County, in High Springs. It is a very rural, and rustic spring. There are Park Rangers, and workers on staff. So, it isn't like you are just in the boonies with the wild all by yourself. There are no lifeguards however, so you have to be cognizant of that. Poe Springs is a natural spring, off the Santa Fe River. There are several springs right in this same stretch of river. The park is a county owned park, with gazebos, playground, tennis, hiking, swimming, and lots of extra picnic tables. The springs are down the boardwalk, a little walk from the play area. Keep that in mind if you decide to visit. We saw lots of turtles in the springs. DJ got a picture of one good sized one. The kids saw a gator in the river, but they don't come in the springs. They are pretty much always there. A snake passed by too, which kind of freaked me out, but he didn't want anything to do with us. Next week, we are visiting Blue Springs, just up the road from Poe. There are two Blue Springs. One in Levy County, which is not as nice, and one in Gilchrist County, that is beautiful. Stay tuned for pics from there next week. Public schools start back to school on Monday, but we have three more weeks off. Oh yeah!

Our Visit To The Tampa Aquarium

OK first let me say we had a wonderful day. Then let me say if you decide to ever visit an aquarium take a video camera because it is incredibly hard to get good shots of moving fish, with a flash camera. Anyways I will share some good shots. Our day started out in the wrong direction. We go to the ATM to take off the cash I have been saving for the trip, and it says I have eight dollars. Really? So we went anyway thank goodness for credit cards, we had been planning this for so long. So when we got home I called the bank and they said the ATM made a mistake and withdrew the money from my account but never gave it to me. Geez thanks Mr ATM. All isn't lost, we took the trip, and they will deposit my money back in 24 hours. The Tampa Aquarium is one of the top ranked aquariums in the US. It is definitely worth seeing if you ever get a chance. BTW thanks to all the vets who serve our country, and Happy Veterans Day. I won't tell everything about the Aquarium because DJ is doing a writing assignment on it. No school tomorrow, Yay catch up time.

Do Your Kids Ask For Nontraditional Pets?

I read this little article, in my Family Circle magazine. Some of it I was already aware of, but some was new information as well. For instance I knew turtles, lizards, snakes, and other reptiles could carry the Salmonella virus, and that children under 3 or 4 should not handle them. However I did not know that turtles, chicks, and mice can carry Herpes as well. Herpes is usually considered a sexually transmitted disease, so this was startling to me. The basis of the story is that if you are considering a cute chick for Easter, you might want to talk to your Pediatrician to be sure it is safe, for the age of your child. While we do have lizards that share our yard with us, my children have never handled them. My son has considered asking for a turtle, but this is not a common topic. Good handwashing would be of the utmost importance.

I was given an award, which I will post about on a day when I have no lesson plans to post.

Lesson Plans for 1/20/09:

Reading: Chapter 6 Dolphins at Daybreak
Language Arts: Parts of speech, punctuation
Math: Multiplication, division, greater than, less than
Writing: If you could zap yourself into a TV show, what would it be, and why
Science: Animals-vertebrates, animal watch
Spelling: Lesson 16- write each spelling word 2 times each
Vocabulary: Lesson 16: Look up the definition for each vocabulary word
PE: 30 minutes
Spanish: Food and utensils 3