Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Birthday Beach Journey...
Posted in Beach Bungalow
Today we decided to visit the beach.
It's been a little while since we've visited
and we won't be able to visit it after we move
so we wanted to go and enjoy it! And we did!
To get to the beach, you have to walk past the lighthouse
(which is what the lil' girls are looking at in the photo above)...
When we reached the beach,
we were greeted by the wonderful sounds of the ocean...
I don't think Carolynne felt the sounds were so wonderful.
She tends to be afraid of the water
and insisted on holding onto mommy...
In a post a couple of months ago,
I mentioned how they were working on the beach.
It appeared to us that much of the natural beauty
of this particular beach had been removed or changed.
But we walked just a little bit
until we found a good area to look for ocean life...
We were glad we did
because within minutes we found this little guy hiding...
The children had grabbed a stick so we could play with him.
I put the stick in front of him and we were all amused and amazed
at how he grabbed onto the stick... it reminded us a little of fishing...
Here you can see his claw chomped on the stick better...
He would walk out when I pulled him with the stick
then he would let go and hide under the wood, again.
We enjoyed standing around watching how he reacted and moved.
Near him, we found one hiding under the sand...
We took the stick to see if he would move, but he wouldn't.
We were able to see his eye poking out of the mud though!
The children and I continued to search...
And Ally took a rest on a nearby log (she wasn't feeling too well)...
We were thrilled when we found another blue crab hiding...
Carolynne wanted to do as Mommy had done
and grabbed a stick to see if he wanted to 'play'...
Beth tried, too...
And so did Will...
We were excited to get a good look at him...
He was swatting at our stick with his big, orange-tipped claw.
Other than that, he wouldn't move... which was okay with us. 
Soon we were ready to head back...
On our way back,
I thought I would capture a photo
of coastal South Carolina's version of autumn...
The beach is beautiful, yes.
But, oh, how I love northern autumn colors and temperatures!
Before packing back up into the van,
we stopped to read about the buoy...
Will and Beth got a closer look of the anchor nearby...
I also took the younger ones into the bottom of the lighthouse.
Ally (still not feeling well) decided to sit on a bench and wait.
Here they were climbing the stairs into the lighthouse...
Once inside, they climbed the first few stairs or so
to look out the little window...
On our way out, someone offered to take our photo...
Then we were ready to head out to our next spot...
which I'll post about next.
We were glad we were able to visit the beach and the lighthouse
at least one more time before we move on to another place.
We have learned about and experienced so much about
God's Marvelous creation during our journeys to the beach.
The Lord has been Gracious in providing us with many of His Wonders
to see when we've visited. And we are so thankful He has.
"Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas,
and every thing that moveth therein" ~ Psalm 69:34
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Interesting Find in Our Bucket O' Shells...
Posted in Beach Bungalow
Today we were looking through our bucket of shells
that we collected from the beach yesterday.
We had lots of fun looking at the different shells.
But this one stood out among all of the rest...
Isn't that interesting that a sponge was attached to the shell?! It fascinated us.
I found this about sponges...
Sponges are sessile animals that grow attached to shells,
stones, and other hard objects on the bottom.
The sponges found cast onto the beach
are but the skeletons of former living animals
and bear little resemblance to living sponges.
Sessile (according to Webster):
permanently attached or established : not free to move about
"I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works."
~ Psalm 145:5
Friday, July 14, 2006
Yipee!! Beachschooling... Day 17...
Posted in Beach Bungalow
It had felt like 'forever' since we had been to the beach,
after becoming so used to going.
They had been doing some construction on the beach
and we try to stay away from summer immodesty,
so we had taken a break from beachschooling.
Well, yesterday morning we decided to try it again and glad we did.
The construction was over and the beach was pretty empty.
Here are the children heading towards the beach...
The beach was as beautiful as ever. There were also waves crashing...
There was something a little different about the beach...
usually it is pretty scarce of shells, but now it was full of them!
The children loved being able to find the prettiest
and most interesting shells
to put them in their pails they had brought...
Here are a couple that they found...
We filled a big bucket full of shells to bring home!
They (and I) were thrilled!
The younger ones spent time playing in the sand,
as Ally and I wrote in our nature journals...
We didn't see the usual sea life
that we were accustomed to seeing
but we were able to see a few...
We were followed by this laughing gull...
He didn't seem to be laughing... but we were.
The children spotted this little guy scurrying across the sand to hide...
...the sand fiddler crab.
He's very tiny and blends right in with the sand.
Upon our return to the van,
we spotted a flock of pelicans.
I was able to capture a few of them in a photo
as they flew past the lighthouse...
We were thrilled to get back to the beach
to enjoy and explore God's beautiful creation.
"In his hand are the deep places of the earth:
the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down:
let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
~ Psalm 95:4-6
Monday, May 22, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 16
Posted in Beach Bungalow
It was a gorgeous day for an overdue trip to the beach!
So we met with some homeschool friends and headed there.
We showed up at low tide, which was wonderful.
The children were excited to get back to the beach...
There were lots of shrimp boats and others out today.
You can see them in the horizon.
We headed down the beach, on a mission to reach the end...
We were completely amazed by all we saw today!
We saw a total of 12 jellyfish!!!!
Here are pictures of a few of them...
The one on the right was missing its head!
The children felt a few of them as we found them...
Beth didn't mind watching everyone touch the jellyfish,
but when I asked her if she wanted to touch it she replied,
"No, Mama! I don like jelwyfishes! But Carolynne dooes."
Also along our way, we found these!
We aren't really sure what they are,
but we are assuming some kind of
coral reef, sea plant, or sponge.
We hope to find them in our field guide.
We also found quite a few crabs.
This little fellow was hiding...
And we stumbled across this guy...
Big eye! The children were thrilled.
Our greatest find on the way, however,
was beginning to be picked apart by a black vulture.
We saw the vulture and wondered
what it was he was picking at.
It looked pretty big, so we ventured over there to see.
And this is what we found!!
Yes!! A baby shark!!!
We couldn't resist examining him...
Ally and Justin couldn't resist picking him up... sort of...
It was really great to be able to see that.
At our house one of our favorite books is Sharks.
And it was wonderful to be able to see a real life one!
After a long... long walk,
we finally reached the end of the beach
and decided to let the children wade in a pool of water...
Some of them played in the sand....
Notice Ally laying down??
She was exhausted after the long walk.
While we were there her and Justin found this guy...
We aren't sure what kind of fish he is,
but at first glance he looked a little like a baby lionfish.
We hope to identify him for sure.
Eventually, it was time to make the long haul back.
On the way, we found this...
He was dead and we were able to take him home!
After the long walk,
we were thrilled to finally make it back to the van.
We then headed to McDonald's for a treat!
On the way, Ally had to dry Beth's dress
because it was soaked from
playing in the water (she had been crawling through it).
Here is Ally drying Beth's dress....
She didn't mind at all
hanging a little out the window to get it dry.
But I couldn't help but laugh at how it reminded me
of doggies hanging their heads out the window
to let their ears flop in the wind.
It was such a wonderful day
exploring God's remarkable creation.
Just when we though we had seen it all,
He provides more marvelous wonders
that we hadn't seen before!
We're gonna miss our beach adventures when we ever move.
But are enjoying them immensely until then!!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 15...
Posted in Beach Bungalow
Another day, another beach trip.
The weather, I thought, was very nice.
The sky was mostly cloudy,
but it wasn't too humid or hot.
So we decided to head to the beach
with some homeschooled friends
for an afternoon of exploration and fun.
It was quite an active day for jellyfish, too!
Below are some photos...
Here's a couple of views of the beach today...
Notice the sky was a bit darker...
We didn't let the cloudy (or sprinkly) weather
stop us from having a good time...
so we headed down the beach to explore...
Almost as soon as we started we came across a jellyfish...
Here are some of them examining it...
Ally couldn't resist touching it.
And minutes later, there was another!
This one was just laying on the sand on our way out,
but on the way back,
he was under the water when the waves came in.
We continued walking...
Ally came across a tree stump that she enjoyed walking on...
As the children were walking in the shallow water,
Ally had a frightening experience (well, it scared her anyhow).
All of a sudden something ran across her foot while under the water!
It was a crab! She and her friend screamed and ran.
The crab was quite afraid, too, for he ran off further into the water.
The children were enjoying seeing all of the different kinds of shells
and the pieces of sand dollars that lay on the shore.
They also enjoyed searching for what else they could find...
They were able to find a couple of little crabs (sand fiddlers, we think)...
He looks kinda big, doesn't he???
But looks are deceiving...
Here is a photo with Carolynne next to it...
The crab is circled in yellow... isn't he tiny???
One of the children found a crab in one of the trees!
He really blended in with the tree!
We walked a little way down the beach
and before long it began to sprinkle,
so we slowly headed back.
On the way back, Ally and her friend
searched for more pet barnacles to take home and observe...
On the walk back,
I was finally able to catch a photo of the pelicans
that we've been seeing lately...
The children continued searching as we walked back up the beach...
The youner ones stumbled across a hermit crab...
He stopped moving once we were all there staring at him.
But he was definately alive... and fascinating.
We also came across two more jellyfish!!
These had holes in them, which we were baffled by...
They looked as if they had been ripped...
Here were the older girls examining the jellyfish...
And when we reached our destination,
we saw, yet, another jellyfish in the sand... far from the water...
Wow!!! That was 5 jellyfish in one trip!
Before heading home, we let the children run and play for a little while...
Here is what Ally and her friend made in the sand...
They were trying to dig it deep enough to put water in it, like a moat.
Eventually, it was time to head home.
But we sure had a fun and eventful time on the beach.
We were amazed of the amount of jellyfish we saw.
Ally and her friend were frightened by a crab
(and we were a little amused, too).
We were able to see a few crabs... even some in the trees.
And we were able to see the flock of pelican fly overhead in formation.
It was a great time with lots to see.
As always, we enjoy so much the time and opportunity we have
to explore and enjoy God's marvelous creation!
Oh... I couldn't leave the beach
without getting a photo of our precious sweeties...
Awww... I love each of them so much!
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 14...
Posted in Beach Bungalow
Today we were thrilled to be able to get out
to the beach once again
with some homeschooled friends.
On our way, we spotted dolphins swimming
in the channel as we crossed over the bridge.
The children were excited!
When we reached the beach,
we discovered that it was high tide.
Because it was high tide,
we weren't able to walk far at all.
But we walked as far as we could...
On our way, we were able to spot a jellyfish
laying just outside the tide line
Then we walked a few more feet and found another!
We stopped walking when we reached
the rocks and trees below.
The children spent most of their time
playing in the sand,
climbing, exploring, etc...
Here are some photos of them...
For most of the time,
Carolynne wanted to stay in the stroller,
but she eventually changed her mind,
towards the end...
Will enjoyed exploring and testing the water...
Ally and her friend, Justin, love to climb the trees
that lay on the beach ...
Beth looked so peaceful watching the ocean...
Here they are (except Carolynne) by the water...
We were also able to see a shrimp boat
far out in the ocean...
Here is a photo I took of the top of the lighthouse
through the trees...
Even though we weren't able to walk
farther down the beach,
we were thrilled by what
we were able to do and see.
It is always a great day
when we are able to enjoy God's creation.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 13... trip to The Sands
Posted in Beach Bungalow
This afternoon we met our homeschool friends at The Sands
(a local shore on one of the intercoastal waterways).
We had another wonderful time exploring God's creation.
When we pulled up, we could see hundreds of little sand crabs running
around. Most of them were returning to their homes.
The boys couldn't resist hunting them down.
Here is Will with his friend, Justin, looking for the crabs...
And the search paid off...
This one is clutched to the side!
These were two different crabs...
While the boys chased the crabs,
Ally looked for shark teeth...
And the girls played by the big rocks,
picking up shells...
They also looked for shells
for Mommy's rock garden...
So did Will and his friend, Jenna...
Ally and Justin kept looking for shark teeth...
They were able to find quite a few.
On the shore,
we came across a blue crab exoskeleton...
Surprisingly, Carolynne was compelled to pick it up!
Beth saw Carolynne doing it,
so she wanted to try it too!
We found lots of sand crabs walking around,
so the children stood and observed them...
Here were some closeups of our sweeties...
And here were some views of The Sands...
A little before we left,
I looked up and glanced at the river
and saw a couple of dolphins playing!!
I was thrilled!
We haven't been able to see the dolphins all year.
They weren't jumping out of the water very high,
but I was able to get a shot of one of their fins.
Look closely and you can see him...
See that black, pointy spot in the middle of the water??
That's him!!
So our trip to The Sands was great!
We had a fun time seeing the crabs,
finding a blue crab exoskeleton,
searching for shark teeth and shells,
and we even got to see a couple of dolphins!
When we got home,
the children added the bag of shells to my rock bed.
They did a beautiful job sorting them out
and had fun doing it!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 12 ... hermit crab video... 'Pagoo'
Monday, April 24, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 12 ... Blue crab videos
Monday, April 24, 2006
Beachschooling... Day 12
Posted in Beach Bungalow
It was gorgeous weather for another day of beachschooling!
We picked up our homeschool friends and headed out.
And the Lord truly blessed us with being able
to encounter many of His fascinating creatures!
Come along and see how our adventure went...
Here are the children eager to get to the beach...
We walked a little to find a good spot to search...
As we searched for a place, we came across this as we walked by...
We found the jellyfish upside down, grabbed a stick to flip it over...
so the children could touch it and see what it felt like.
Also along the way, we came across this horseshoe crab exoskeleton...
We also learned in our field guide that horseshoe crabs
are relatives of the spider and are not a true crab at all... interesting.
We then continued searching for what else we could find...
The older ones searched the tidal pools as Beth and Carolynne ran a bit...
The older children found this in one of the tidal pools...
It was a hermit crab walking along the sand in the water.
A real life Pagoo! I was able to take a short movie of him walking around
that I will attempt to upload later.
Then the children discovered this fella walking in the water...
We see exoskeletons of this little guy all the time
but this was the first time to see one alive!
We also found a sea urchin, but couldn't get to him...
We walked a little more and found another!
He had a shell attached to him that we couldn't remove.
We tried with a stick to no avail. Again... interesting.
As with all beachschooling days, we eventually had to return home.
On our walk back to the van, we found more of these...
Just like the coquinas we found before, but the tide had gone out
and they were left drying in the sand.
We also came across another jellyfish... this time it was a baby...
The children were fascinated by the feel of it.
Another great discovery we found on the way back
was something hiding in the sand.
I had the children grab a stick, they poked at the 'sand blob' a little,
and out came a live blue crab! We were SO excited.
Well, silly me, I forgot to get a picture of it,
but I did get it on video!
Again, I will attempt to upload it later today.
It was a fantastic day at the beach.
I was amazed how the Lord provided so many of His fascinating creatures
in one day! 2 jellyfish, a hermit crab, an unidentified crab, 2 sea urchins,
coquinas, and a live blue crab! Not to mention the tons of seagulls
and laughing gulls. It was a wonderfully, enjoyable day
full of the wonders of His creation!
"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
and to look well to thy herds."
~ Proverbs 27:23
Tending to our sheep...
