Wednesday, November 12 was all about birds during Homeschool Explorers Club Day at the Aquarium. From the mountains to the sea, homeschooled guests discovered the many wonders of our feathered friends with bird-watching, beak and feather identification, and an exclusive Birds of Prey talk.
Education stations around the Aquarium gave students a variety of hands-on learning opportunities and the chance to speak with Aquarium educators. Starting their journey in the Mountain Forest, students learned about Liberty the bald eagle and how to identify birds by their beaks. Our Homeschool Explorers then flew over to the Saltmarsh, where they used binoculars and bird identification books to learn how to bird-watch in the wild. In the Madagascar exhibit, the students held a variety of bird feathers and learned why their shape and texture helps birds survive in nature. For an artistic twist on avian education, the final cart was an origami and coloring station located in Carolina Seas.
Pippin the barn owl stole the show at the Birds of Prey talk. Students got up close to the majestic bird while Aquarium Aviculturist Monty Wallace taught the students about what makes Pippin unique. With tangible examples like a baseball to show students how large their eyes would be if they were proportionate to an eagle’s eyes, Monty held their attention the entire time and the children were full of questions by the end of the talk.
Registration for our 2015 Homeschool Explorers Club is now open! Click here to register.