Mish Mash Splash

Saturday March 16, 2013
Family Fieldtrip Saturday

 This week we continued our visit to Ghana but before we started we took another look at Mauritania.  We found a new discovery in the Sahara desert in west central Mauritania.  Scientifically it is called the Richat Structure but it is sometimes referred to as the Eye of the Sahara.  It was discovered by astronauts looking at the earth from outer space.  We looked at satellite photos of the phenomenon.   This structure is a deeply eroded, slightly elliptical, 40 km in diameter, dome. 


This is where Mrs. Campbell stayed when she visited the Butterfly Sanctuary



Virtual Tour

 

Then we took a virtual tour of  three points of interest in Ghana.  First we visited the Bobiri Forest and Butterfly Sanctuary.  Then we stopped by artist and friend Nana Anoff’s home and studio to visit his mother’s orchid collection in Accra. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyiVovFPGpM  

 

Finally we visited the Kadum National Park to went to the Rainforest in the southern part of Ghana and walked the trail above the canopy of trees. It is the scariest thing I ever did.  You can try it at…www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAYnivamaJ4   

 After our virtual tour we made some butterfly designs.  Cannon used his folding bones and stretched his arm out from the top to the bottom of the fold.  Then he opened the paper and we dropped the colors he chose into the valley of the fold. Then he refolded the paper and used the folding bone to squeeze paint from the center fold to the two far corners. 

 

 When we unfolded the paper we found symmetrical butterfly designs.  It was so much fun we did lots of them. Everybody had a favorite one.

 

 We spent the rest of our morning time together playing Math Slam and ready the rest of Super Diaper Baby.  Then it was time to head out for our Family Fieldtrip to the Garfield Park Conservatory and to visit a real rainforest.
 
Giant Birds of Paradize, Chocolate, Chiclet and Papaya Trees, Orchids, Orchids, Orchids and So Much More!

I met Cannon, mom and dad and a napping baby sister Avalon at the entrance and then our real life rainforest adventure began.  At the entrance we stopped to smell the gardenias and looked up at the giant white bird of paradise plants that soar to the ceiling on either side of the entrance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Just inside we saw the cacaoa (chocolate) tree.  There were lots of yellow orange fruits hanging on the tree and inside – chocolate beans!  Next to the tree we saw our first koi pool and Cannon counted six koi.  Five of them swam to the edge to greet him and one was shy and stayed hidden under a lily pad.  We moved through the conservatory stopping to read about the plants and to test the flowers for fragrance. 

 

 

 Spiders and Snakes and Fish Oh, My!

Dad discovered the glass tanks that contained snakes and one very large, very hairy spider.  

Cannon reached out to touch the “sensitive plant” and to watch its delicate leaves fold up in response.  In some places it is called a “praying plant”.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found orchids hanging from tree and looked up to see papaya clustered under the umbrella like leaves of the papaya tree.  Dad was the researcher and every time there was a question about a plant or tree he would ask his portable library and he would have the answer. 

 Cannon had fun walking under the waterfall. 

 

 

 

When we got to the large koi pond the koi came to greet Cannon hoping he would have some food for them. He waved hello and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out “pretend” food and threw it into the pond.  The fish kept hoping they would find something each time Cannon pretended to feed them. Finally he waved goodbye to them and we continued

 on our way down the path. 

 

Cannon was getting hungry for lunch and Avalon woke up so it was time to leave the nice warm conservatory and head back out into the cold gray day.  But we left plenty of things to discover on our next visit.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday March 13, 2013
Ceramics at The Indianapolis Art Center

Cannon completes the last step on all seven of his clay projects. Each piece required three layers of glaze. They will be fired again and we will pick up the finished projects next week.