A Weekend Hike at Oak Canyon Nature Center

We decided to spend our Sunday morning exploring the great outdoors (one of my favorite things to do). Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim is the perfect spot for hiking with the kids. We visited quite a while ago, but with two little ones and a double jogger to push, our options were limited to the Main Road, which offers a wide packed dirt trail to follow alongside the meandering stream heading uphill, so you still get a bit of a workout and a super enjoyable experience.

This time, we were free to travel several of the other trails the area has to offer as both of our little ones are now sure-footed and eager to explore. We didn't hold back. We walked the Tranquility Trail up to the scenic outlook, caught the Main Road to Bluebird Lane, hitched back on the Bluebird Loop, connected to the Quail Trail and Roadrunner Ridge, passed through the Heritage Trail to see the Butterfly Garden, and hooked up with the Stream Trail to visit the Oldest Oak Tree. We also stopped by the Caves Formed By Erosion and the small Old Time Mining Display.

Most of the trails are shady and pleasant, as you stroll through oak woodlands and enjoy the peaceful trickle of the nearby stream. Bluebird Lane has some shade, but Roadrunner Ridge runs along the top of the canyon and gets full sun. Also, Roadrunner Ridge has steep drop-offs alongside the trail so keep your kids close and hold hands if they're little.

The nice thing about this hike was my son's involvement. Generally, he's not much of a hiker, unless he has something to keep him interested. He loves maps, and the trail guide available at the Nature Center has an image of the trails with a legend and identifiable landmarks. He loved navigating the trails, leading us from one landmark to the next, and helping determine which way to go at the trail intersections. I need to get this boy a compass.

In the end, we were able to hike two and a half miles of trails with a 5-year old and a 2-year old. I had to carry my little girl for a bit, but she's such a trooper and loves to run, so she had plenty of opportunities for that here.

The Interpretive Center is a great place to stop in before and after your hike. There's a small library with children's books, several terrariums with Western Toads, snakes, and bearded dragons, and a few things to explore like animal pelts, horns, and a small box with a mini dinosaur skeleton to excavate. Don't miss the viewing window along the far wall - it looks out at an area that has a small stream, bird feeders, and squirrel feeders. We saw tons of squirrels and birds stopping for water and a bite to eat, and there are binoculars available for getting a closer look.

And if you're an information-nut like me, the area near the front desk has lots of reference books to look at.

If you haven't been, I definitely recommend a trip to Oak Canyon Nature Center. If you have been, you should probably go again. This place rocks.

Oh, restrooms - the brick building near the parking lot is fine, but if you go when the Interpretive Center is open there are a few there, too and they are a bit more comfortable.

For information call 714-998-8380

Hands-On at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

Last weekend we headed to 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro for Day At the Docks. We took the kids on board some of the local fishing boats to see what it's like, and since their Dad spends a lot of time on fishing boats, they were excited to see where he spends his time when he's away from home. Their favorite parts: the free hot dogs and candy, and the bunks on the overnight charter boats.

Once we finished up with the boat tours, we had lunch and made our way to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. This was our second visit, but it's been quite a while since our first. This is hands down one of my favorite aquariums, in fact, I enjoy my visits here even more than The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Here's why: The walls are covered with facts and information about the ocean and the animals that inhabit the waters just outside our door. There's a giant poster with a drawing of a kelp plant, and at the root of the kelp plant, they've glued the approximate amount of all the tiny organisms and animals that live down in the sand, under water, thriving in the roots of kelp. And case after case offers something new to explore - seashells, fossils, sand dollars. One of my favorite displays is the preserved footballfish. This guy is odd and eerie, but amazing. He is the largest of his kind and only the 10th to be caught, according to records.

Footballfish Photo Courtesy of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

The touch tank here is full of sea anemones and urchins and abalone and starfish and lots of other fun fish. But keep your hands out of the water on the backside - there are sharks in there! Once we were done at the touch tank, we met a group in the courtyard to hatch grunion. They distributed baby food jars of sand, seawater, and grunion eggs. We shook the jars as directed and sure enough right before our eyes, the tiny clear eggs popped into tadpole-like fish.

Throughout the aquarium you'll visit exhibits that focus on different areas of the ocean from kelp forests to sandy beaches to the open ocean. In the aquatic nursery you'll meet a baby octopus and tiny seahorses. The Exploration Center is a hands-on interactive area for kids to play with puzzles, costumes, coloring activities and more. Keep an eye out for the scavenger hunt list on the wall. And don't skip the library. They have a huge selection of books about all things aquatic and the children's section has coloring pages and tons of fun books to read.



Aquatic Nursery

 

 

Admission to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is free but they do ask for donations. When you visit, please kindly contribute to keep this amazing aquarium open.

Make a day of your visit and head out to the surrounding area for a nature walk. Pick up the Walk Cabrillo guide located throughout the aquarium and follow the map to explore the Coastal Native Plant Garden, cliffs full of fossils, the salt marsh at Salinas de San Pedro, and tidepools at Point Fermin State Marine Park. Don't forget the sunblock!

For information on educational youth programs visit the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium website at http://www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org/education.asp.

Experimental Home School Day

My son loves school. And his sister, who's almost 3, already wants to go to school like her big brother. But even though they are so fond of it, I'm leaning more and more towards the decision to home school.

We've been talking about it together as a family and we recently had the opportunity to take a day to experiment with the idea.We decided to go on a field trip. Our destination was Laguna Hills Community Center to check out the fossils and learn about the animals that have inhabited the area over the years and the changes that have occurred over time. The kids loved this spot and the Community Center provides informational material and an activity packet for the kids to add to the educational experience of the visit. To learn more about the Community Center and our visit, check out my previous post, Got Fossils?

We realized that we were close to Laguna Niguel Regional Park, so when we were done with our visit at the Community Center we headed there to play and explore. Our first stop was the playground near the main entrance, but the highlight here was exploring the stream that runs through the park. We sent leaves and sticks downstream and watched as the current pushed them along, then we wandered both upstream and down exploring the habitat and encountered lots of animals that live there. Tadpoles, fish, turtles, crayfish, geese, many other birds, and butterflies were some of the animal friends we met along the way.

 

After a snack and a few more minutes of playground time we headed to the lake. We walked along the trail that surrounds the lake and watched the ducks and squirrels. On our way back we found a small amphitheatre and we all took turns putting on a performance. I danced, the kids sang, and my husband did animal impressions.

Can you see the crayfish?

 When we finally made it home, we were to tired to do any writing activities, but over the course of our field trip we fit in physical education, science, history, and visual and performing arts. Not bad for our first try.

I'd love to know what kind of field trips other homeschooling families are going on. Please leave a comment with your favorite location for field trips so we can see the great locations you're all exploring.

Laguna Niguel Regional Park is located at 28241 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Got Fossils?

We went to the Imaginology event at the Orange County Fairgrounds recently and we were lucky enough to stumble upon the booth for the Laguna Hills Community Center. They had a few staffers on site and a big box of fossils for kids to dig through.

I was excited to learn that the community center is situated right smack dab on top of one of the richest fossil sites in America. And rather than keeping all those bones to themselves, they've kindly put some on display for the public to explore.

My little ones love dinosaurs so we made the trip. It's a beautiful location with fountains and a mural of the prehistoric animals that once roamed the hills and swam the seas on that very site. Inside, they have several displays to view including the tusk of a Columbian Mammoth that was 15 feet tall. Quite impressive! They also had the fossil box out, so the kids got to do a little digging of their own. My favorite was the skull of the saber toothed cat nestled in the wall above the staircase landing.

When you arrive at the center stop at the front desk and ask for a Paleopack. They have a parent/chaperone guide with a map of the exhibits and fun facts to talk with your kids about while you view each display. They'll also give you a kids activity packet with coloring pages and dot-to-dots. Take crayons or pencils with you if you want to complete the activities there.

 

The community center also offers a Fossil Finders Fossil Fixers School Tour Program geared for grades 2 through 5. With this program, students will participate in a three day program that meets the California State Science content standards. They offer this same program in a condensed one day version for the general public. For information on when these classes will be offered or to make a reservation call 949-707-2680.

When you've finished exploring inside, head out to the Prehistoric Playground. Loved this spot! The boulders had fossils and imprints of scallops and other prehistoric sea life and the cave beneath the bridge showed off the dinosaur skeletons. There are two levels to play on with multiple structures and a super-cool whale skeleton to climb.

 

For a morning of play and learning, Laguna Hills Community Center is definitely a must-do!

For more information visit www.gotfossils.com. The website also features games, videos, animal facts, and much more to explore with the kids before or after your visit.

Laguna Hills Community Center is located at 25555 Alicia Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.

Why I Love Shipley

In my last post about Shipley Nature Center I talked mostly about the new children's program and offered a general overview of the grounds. But I really think this nature center has a lot to offer and I wanted to mention a few more of the things I love about Shipley.

 

 

 I took my daughter with me to take a few photos for a post I was writing for dandelionmoms.com, also about the new children's program (you can read that post here). We said hello to Barbara, one of the staff members, and she offered us a Critter Count checklist to keep track of the wildlife that we spotted while we were out on the trails. My daughter LOVED keeping track, and I was amazed by the number of animals we encountered. When we checked back in, Mandy helped us record our observations so the next time we visit we can compare our animal observations. We had a grand total of 2 bunnies, 9 lizards, 9 butterflies, 7 birds, 2 hummingbirds, and 3 squirrels.

Shipley also participates in the Get Outdoors! OC program and they provide Nature Scene Investigator Guidebooks for kids to learn more about some of the natural environments and historic locations in Orange County. With the NSI Guidebook, you are directed to various locations to explore and follow clues that lead you to keys or rubbing plates to help you complete your mission.

In addition to the new children's program, Shipley seems to be adding new things all the time. They now have a spot outside where kids can make footprints of local wildlife. At the first children's program event, they made binoculars, then went out to look for animals on the trail. So stop in on Wednesday's at 11:00 and participate in a fun, nature related craft and story time. It's such a great experience for the little ones.

Shipley will also be hosting their annual Spring Festival on Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 to 2:00. There will be face painting, a Maypole dance, storytelling, and much more.

For more information about Shipley Nature Center visit http://shipleynature.org/.