I really can’t think of anything that is more fun than accompanying a couple of grandkids on a class trip. This time I got to go to The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium in Fort Myers, Florida. The nature center is filled with trails and assorted birds, butterflies and reptiles, not to mention an awesome planetarium which gave us two very cool looks at outer space. We also spent some time discussing the differences between refracting and reflecting telescopes. Who knew? Not me.
Here is a snippet from the website. The Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium is a private, not for profit, environmental education organization located in Fort Myers, Florida. Our 105 acre site has a museum, three nature trails, a Planetarium, butterfly and bird aviaries, a gift shop and meeting and picnic areas. Strolling through our Museum, visitors can learn about Southwest Florida’s natural history. Daily educational programs allow visitors an up close and personal view of some of our resident creatures, including a skunk, a raccoon, fox, Butterfly Aviary, and an Audubon Aviary which houses permanently injured birds of prey (hawks, vultures, bald eagles, owls and more!). Various reptiles, amphibians and arthropods are also waiting for you. The Museum’s interpretive displays address many issues affecting our area, from water resources to the plight of the endangered manatee. The stars are always out in our Planetarium, the only one south of Bradenton and west of the Miami!
As usual, I am fascinated by how smart the children are. They pay attention to everything, and their questions are very sophisticated for a group of kids spanning from Second to Fifth Grades. But I had no idea how brave they, and their teacher, are. Here is a group(including one grandson) holding Ava the Albino Python, who is approximately twelve feet long.
And in case you didn’t know, Albino Pythons can only survive in a zoo, refuge or other nature center. Why, you ask? Because, as apparently every eight year old knows, they do not have the capacity to camouflage when they are in the wild. So early in their lifespan they will be killed by a predator or rescued by humans. Every time I travel with kids, I get a little bit smarter.
Terrie
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