Goodbye, Adventureland!

Exiting Adventureland always makes me just a little sad. I mean, the area is filled with the sounds and sights of exotic landscapes: the squawking tropical birds, the African drums, the tiki posts, and viney trees.

For the last three weeks, we've swung through the spirit of Adventureland. Some experiences we had:

• Aidyn and his dad watched The Lion King and identified what animals live in the savanna, using a self-made scavenger hunt list. (If you'd like a copy, let me know, and I can email it)

• We read So You Want to Be an Explorer? while cuddled in Aidyn's tent.

• We hosted an alphabet scavenger hunt for Aidyn and the neighborhood kids, in which they searched for items outside that began with each letter of the alphabet.

• Aidyn and I cuddled up and watched An American Tail and Googled the answers to his questions about why they were leaving Russia and why the the Statue of Liberty has since turned green.

• Not long after, we watched Fievel Goes West and talked about the western frontier and why people chose to move west.

• We saw a magic show.

• We read a handful of rainforest books like Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree, My Brother Needs a Boa, and The Great Kapok Tree. Afterward, we watched an episode of Reading Rainbow, in which they read The Salamander Room and explore the rainforest habitat.

• We played with animal cards, separating the jungle animals from the savanna animals. We also hung up some pictures of a tapir, a toucan, a tree frog, and other rainforest creatures.

• To better appreciate the resources of the rainforest, I whipped up a Rainforest Fruit Salad consisting of pineapple, mango, oranges, and red bananas. I scooped out a pineapple and served the salad inside. We also nibbled on some 86% cacao chocolate squares.

• We attended Uncle Jer's Bee Show and learned all about bees, honey, worker bees and their jobs, and the health benefits of honey. We also peeked at two hives and identified the queen bee.

• We watched Fern Gully, gently talking about the destruction of rainforests, and Disney's  Jungle Book, pointing out where the jungles of India are on the globe.

• We went on our own little adventure, hiking up Mt. Diablo, exploring the flora and fauna of our own region of the world.

Other Things We Did These Past Few Weeks That Has Nothing (?) to Do with Adventureland:

• had a major water balloon war fight
• had a fingerpainting session at the kitchen table with the neighbors
• read from Calling All Creeps  by R.L. Stine
• played M&M Math
• danced to kids' songs with his friends
• watched a Reading Rainbow episode in which they read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and learned about chain reactions, the production of bowling balls, and dominoes

And now....

we are moving OUT of this Adventureland and into California Adventures.