Saying Farewell

We are lining up to board our Ferry back to Long Beach for our long bus ride home.  I can't even describe the amount of learning and the incredible amount of fun that we have experienced!  This will definitely be a trip that all of us will remember forever.  It is truly bittersweet to say farewell.  I leave you with some beautiful Toyon Bay pictures.  We will see you all between 9 and 10PM tonight!

P.S.  If your child took pictures on the trip we would love to have them on a flash drive or CD so that we may share them with all of the fabulous 6th grade families.  Please send them in ASAP with your child.  See you soon:-)

End of Day 2

As the night draws to an end, there are many adventures to tell you about!  Last night the kids were fortunate enough to dissect a squid.  They pulled up their sleeves and dove right in.  Who knew they could have so much fun with squid???

After a well needed good nights sleep, this morning started with a cycle of 4 hands-on labs.  In the Plankton lab students got to look at all different types of plankton through microscopes.  The invertebrate lab allowed students to touch and view a vast array of sea life.  The kids loved this lab!!  They participated in an ocean lab where they calculated the salinity, and tested their luck at catching live sea life.  The fourth lab is one you will have to ask your child about.  But don't be surprised if they tell you that it's a secret:-)

After lunch we were lucky enough to do a second snorkel adventure!  We definitely rocked the wetsuits the second time around!  The kids were way more comfortable in the water and acted like professional snorkelers.

The night ended with an absolutely gorgeous astronomy hike.  We grabbed our flashlights and hiked about 25 minutes up the mountain to be educated about the beautiful night sky.  The sky was clear and we could see thousands of stars.  The counselors taught the information in such a fun and engaging way that the students were all ears!  They had a blast listening and participating in the storytelling time. The kids are now in dreamland resting up for a morning of hands-on labs and a long bus ride home.  

I will update before we leave this stunning island:-)

Beautiful Morning

We awoke this morning to a beatiful clear morning.  The weather is gorgeous!!  Some students chose to get up extra early and head out on a sunrise hike.  Right now, all the kids are getting ready for breakfast and hands-on labs until lunch time.  After that, they will enjoy another round of snorkeling and a night hike to see the absolutely stunning night sky!  I will update this evening.  I leave you with these words of wisdom said by a student on our way to the island yesterday "If you go to the front of the boat, you are closer to the island." Haha!  Let's see if we can beat that today:-)

Toyon Bay Day 1

We have had a fantastic first day at Toyon Bay!  The day started very early(5:00AM) with breakfast and smiles on all the sleepy faces.  After breakfast we arrived at the pier to board our lovely ferry over to Catalina Island.  We had some time to kill before boarding, so the kids were creative and kept themselves busy......

Once we boarded the boat, I think exhaustion had set in.  The kids got to relax and enjoy a 2 hour ride to Toyon Bay.

Being a chaperone can be very hard work, right Mr. Chapman???

Wow...Mr. Black are you sleeping on the job too???

The chaperones weren't the only ones that were tired!

Once we hit landfall, it was time for our first lesson on snorkel safety.  The kids were very excited to get in the water.  But first, we had to fight the battle with the wetsuits, dah da dah........

During the snorkel adventure we saw some pretty amazing sea life.  The kids got to see Garibaldi, Opal Eye, Starfish, Bat Ray, Sea Pansy, Salp, Squid Egg, Shovel Nose Guitar Fish and a 5 foot Leopard Shark!  Tonight-squid dissection, what could be better?

Check back Saturday evening for an update on day 2:-)