Newport Aquarium

On the way home from the Midwest Homeschool Convention, my family spent a lovely day at the Newport Aquarium. We found the aquarium to be delightful - our only complaint was that it was much too crowded. As homeschoolers, we are completely spoiled by visiting so many museums, zoos, and science centers during the time when many children are in school. I seriously consider uncrowded educational field trips to be a huge fringe benefit of homeschooling!
The Kingdom of Penguins was the last stop on our journey through the Newport Aquarium. By that point, we were all a bit tired and ready to get started on our long car trip home. So, I just took a quick picture of the penguins and we hit the road. My two older children spent a longish time with their hands in the water of the sharks touch tank. They noticed that most of the sharks were huddled in the far corner of the tank, completely shunning the human touches. They were probably overwhelmed by the crowds as well.

In the Hidden Treasures Rainforest, we were able to purchase a small cup of food to feed the lovely birds. Unlike previous experiences feeding the lorakeets when there were not mobs of people, we were not attacked by birds (in a good, friendly way). Actually, the birds were so full that they showed little interest in having more food. Finally, my daughter was able to coax one of the birds to eat from her cup.

My very favorite animals at the aquarium were the Colorado River Toads. They just looked so comfortable and relaxed in their exhibit.

The Gator Bayou was particularly well-done. We spent quite a while looking at the alligators in this exhibit. I just adore the rocking chair on the porch scene with the alligator.

We quite enjoyed watching the Dive Show where we learned quite a bit about Shark Rays. The Newport Aquarium has the only Shark Ray breeding program in the world. Interestingly, Shark Rays possess grinding plates rather than teeth. During the program, one of the fish kept visiting the diver to get a little "pebble bath."

The Tide Pool Touch Tank was enjoyed by both of my older children. For some reason, my youngest had no desire to touch anything in the Tide Pool or the Shark Touch Tank. Lastly, the most interesting creature that I saw was the Largescale Four-eyes. This unique fish glided about at the top of the water with its big, bulbous eyes sticking out of the water.

All in all, we had a lovely day. We were told by one of the employees that during the week in the winter, we would have the aquarium all to ourselves. Sounds like a future field trip plan to me!