Animal Lesson #11: 7 Aquariums with Shark Viewing

Whale Shark, photo by Krenda

You are more likely to have lightning strike you or get killed by a tornado than get attacked or killed by a shark.  Yet over 100 million sharks get killed each year.  While the world has over five hundred shark species, only a dozen species are known to attack humans.  Sharks are powerful and graceful, using six senses including electroreception through special sensors.

Whale Shark Georgia Aquarium

A friend of mine at work recommended that I swim with whale shark off the shores of Mexico.  Intrigued, I researched the endangered shark to find out where I could view one in the United States.  Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta holds the record of the first and only place to keep whale sharks outside of Asia.  The book Amazing Places to Take Your Kids by Laura Sutherland recommends the aquarium and recognizes the amazing exhibit, "They roam the waters of a six-million-gallon tank they share with thousands of other fish, including sawfish, giant grouper, stingrays, and hammerhead sharks.  I've been to a lot of aquariums; this exhibit is spectacular.

Whale sharks hold the record of being the largest known fish species.  The largest stretched 41.5 feet and weighed approximately 47,000 pounds.  Originating approximately sixty million years ago, whale sharks are filter feeders.  Only two other filter feeding sharks, megamouth shark and basking shark, exist.

The whale shark gentle nature and sheer size steals the show at the Georgia Aquarium.  As the largest aquarium in the world, you may easily spend a half day at the other exhibits, touch tanks, and the dolphin show.
You may travel to exotic seas, go diving, and have the opportunity to see a whale shark in the wild.  Whale sharks also live off the Bay Island Honduras, Thailand, the Philippines, the Maldives, Western Australia, Belize, and Puerto Rico.  However, for an easy way to see sharks with your family, consider the following aquariums:

Visitors and Whale Shark Georgia Aquarium

1.  Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, adults $49.95 and child (age 3-12) $29.95
second largest aquarium in the world, offers education including "Project White Shark" 15 min. talk about the threatened white shark, and "Kelp Forest Feeding" diver hand feeds sharks and other animals during 15 minute presentation

2.  Shedd Aquarium, Illinois, adults $39.95 and child (age 3-11) $29.95
90 minute behind the scene to see shark mealtime $89.95

3.  Florida Aquarium Tampa, Florida, adults $28.95 and child $23.95 discounted online pricing
Shark Swim experience allows age 9 and up to snorkel with sand tiger sharks for $110 each
Scuba dive with sharks requires certification and $160 fee

4.  Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada, adult $25, child (4-12) $19
100 sharks including grey reef, blacktip, zebra, sand tiger, sandbar, nurse, and whitetip reef
$650 to dive with sharks

5.  Newport Aquarium, Newport, Kentucky, adults $24.99, child $17.99
Suspended rope bridge takes you inches above sharks, over 12 species including sand tiger, blacktip, California leopard shark, and Port Jackson shark
Private overnight on Mon. Tue. with min. 20 people and $49.99 per person

6.  Florida Keys Aquarium, Florida, adults $20, child (4-12) $15
Predator Reef Tank includes nurse, blacktip, sandbar, blacknose, and bonethead shark,
Big Shark Bay Encounter offers Pet and feed nurse shark $18

 I've also been to the Shedd and Newport Aquarium and recommend these aquariums too.

Gym Class #12: Free or Pay, 5 Free Water Ski Shows

Audience, Photo by Krenda

Waterskiing takes me back to childhood memories growing up in Wisconsin, surrounded by lakes.  My family moved north from the Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois) to Wisconsin.  I thought we lived quite far north.  However, we would ask neighbors and friends about weekend plans and they would most likely respond "we are going Up North".  It seemed like everyone owned a cabin and boat further north.  I always appreciated invites to a cabin weekend, especially when the family had a boat that could take us water skiing.

Waterskiing has many categories including 1) show skiing, 2) wakeboarding, 3) barefooting, 4) ski racing, 5) hydrofoiling, 6) kneeboarding, 7) slalom, trick, and jump skiing, and 8) adaptive skiing.  My parents took us to the Tommy Bartlett show to see the professional water ski show.  If you have tried skiing, it gives even more appreciation for those who can do tricks.  It felt difficult enough to have the muscle to hold on and stay standing.

I grew up in the right place to appreciate skiing.  The United States has strong show teams.  The USA Water Ski Show Team won the Show Ski World Championships.  Wisconsin earns the title "Show Ski Capital of the World" and holds the largest water ski tournament in the world "Wisconsin State Water Ski Championship."

Some ski shows such as those at Sea World and Cypress Gardens disappeared.  However, the Tommy Bartlett Show still impresses audiences today with it's high energy, high skill shows.  It will cost your family to attend.  Adult tickets cost approximately $21.50 and child tickets cost approximately $12.50.

Good news that you can inspire your kids with a ski show and it might cost you nothing.  We went to the Backwater Gamblers show in Rock Island, IL (Quad Cities) on the Mississippi River.  The National Geographic book 100 Places That Can Change Your Child's Life lists Mississippi River as a must see place and claims waterskiing was invented on the Mississippi River in 1922.  We clapped loudly for the ramp tricks, boat tricks, and impressive human pyramids.  Plus we gave donations and bought concessions.  Here's four other free shows you should consider attending:

1.  Aquanut Water Shows; Lance Park in Twin Lakes, WI (close to IL border), Wed. & Sat. 6PM Memorial to Labor Day
Sponsored by Twin Lakes Marine and Gage Marine; show began in 1973 and now the 2018 National Show Ski Ballet Line Champions, contact them for Learn to Ski opportunities in July and August
2.  Chetek Hydroflites Water Ski Show Team; Chetek, WI (Northwest Wisconsin); Thur. & Sun summer shows
3.  Min-Aqua Bat Water Ski Shows; Minocqua, WI, Sun/Wed./Fri. night in summer
One of the oldest show teams in the U.S., club began in 1950
4.  Waterboard Warriors Water Ski Show; Wrightstown, WI (near Green Bay/Fox Valley); Tue & Thur. Memorial to Labor Day

If your child becomes so enthusiastic that they want to learn to ski, consider a ski school: 1) Bass Cove Ski School (Central Lake MI), 2) Barefoot Brothers Water Ski School (Alva, FL), 3) Collier County Water Ski Center (Naples, FL).

Music Lesson #2: 3 Free Military Concerts in Washington D.C.

When you think of Washington D.C., you likely think of touring government buildings and museums.  Take a moment to enjoy the music.  If you have the fortune of visiting Washington D.C., I especially encourage you to attend a military band concert.  I am biased as my father, father-in-law, uncles, sister-in-law, brother-in-laws, and cousins served in the military.

My kids enjoyed the pageantry of the U.S. Marine Band at Historic Fort Myer in Arlington, VA.  It includes an hour of military pageant featuring the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the U.S. Army Drill Team, U.S. Army Blues, and members of the U.S. Army Band Downrange.  Look online for Wed. evening dates and times for this special performance.

Our family enjoyed the U.S. navy Band at the Navy Memorial.  If you attend at this location, you will see all of the units of the Navy Band including the Sea Canters, Commodores, Country Current, and Cruisers.  Both the flag ceremony and the voices were impressive.  The emcee also took a nice break to recognize all the military members in the audience.

Here's three free military concerts in Washington D.C. and area:

1.  U.S. Navy Band June-Aug.
a) Mon. evenings at the Capitol
b) Select Tue. evenings at the Navy Memorial

2.  U.S. Air Force Band
a) Tue. evenings at the Capitol
b) occasional Fri. evenings at the Air Force Memorial
c) occasional Sat. evenings at National Harbor along the waterfront

3.  U.S. Marine Band
a) Wed. and Thur. evenings at the Capitol 8PM
b) Wed. evenings at Historic Fort Myer in Arlington, VA

Here's additional free concerts in Washington D.C. and area:
4.  Local Bands
a) Wed. evening Washington Harbour Georgetown on the plaza along the Potamac River

5.  Jazz Concerts
a) Sat. 6PM Fort Dupont Summer Theatre

6.  The Live! Concert Series July-Sept.
a) lunchtime weekdays, Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan International Trade Building

Agriculture Lesson #6: From Turkey to US, Cherry Picking Farms & 7 Festivals

Cherry Picking, Photo by Krenda

One of my favorite memories about spending time on my grandparent's farm was picking cherries with grandpa.  Peering from the farm house lace curtain decorated windows, I could see the cherry trees.  If I saw too many birds, I might jump up and run out to scare them away.  Grandpa's nets worked better, but I could help too.  Fresh, sweet, tart cherries meant cherry pie.  What a treat!

Turkey wins the title of the world's largest cherry producing country.  However, you don't need to travel to Turkey to experience cherry picking.  The United States ranks as the second highest producer with Washington, California, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Michigan as top sweet cherry producing states.  We chose to find a u-pick cherry farm in Wisconsin.  We visited Hyline Orchards in Fish Creek, Wisconsin (Door County).  Nothing too fancy.  You enter the shop, pay for an empty bucket, and begin picking.

Turkey celebrates cherry agriculture with festivals.  The traditional and well known Polonezkoy festival includes concerts and folk dancing in June.  In the US, many festivals also occur in June and your family can celebrate the harvest and try cherry food items.  I'll list a few options, beginning with Traverse City, Michigan because the city calls itself the "Cherry Capital of the World":

1.  National Cherry Festival; Traverse City, Michigan, June/July
Many competitions including turtle race, cherry pie eating contest, diaper derby, cherry pit contest, sand sculpture contest, art competition, and shuffleboard tournament.  Kids may like the cherry teddy bear tea and chalk art.  Everyone will learn at the orchard tour.

2.  Jacksonport Historical Society Annual Cherry Fest; Jacksonport, WI
Kids will enjoy the penny hunt on the beach, face painting, and horse drawn wagon rides.  Indulge your sweet tooth by purchasing cherry kolaches at the bakery booth.

3.  Leona Valley Cherry Parade and Festival; Leona, CA; June
Many choices because over 20 u-pick cherry orchards within driving distance.  Plus enjoy live music, pie eating contest, and crafts.

4.  Whitehouse Cherry Fest; Whitehouse, OH, June
Entertain friends and family at the carnival rides and 5 min. helicopter rides for $35

5.  Emmett Cherry Festival; Emmett, Idaho, June
Active event including fireman hose competition, softball tourney, and run/walk.  Also visit the train show and parade.  Free admission and free contest entry.

6.  Polson Main Street Flathead Cherry Festival; Polson, Montana
Buy from Montana Made Item vendors and listen to the steel drum band.  Traditional events including pit-spitting and pie eating contests.

7.  Paonia Cherry Days Festival; Paonia, CO
Interesting contests including coal shoveling contest and hula contest.  Get moving at the American Legion dance and Zumba event.  Treat yourself at the ice cream social.  Event also includes Church in the Park and Library Book Sale.

Architecture Lesson #2: Chicago Water Taxi and 3 Boat Tours

A trip to a big city gives you an opportunity to showcase architecture.  You can talk about building types and materials and structural concepts.  Before your outing, draw together different structures such as a suspension bridge, arch, column, post and beam, and dome.  Then on your trip, see who finds the structure first.  You can really make the adventure fun by taking a boat ride and viewing the buildings from the river.

Thanks to our cousins for taking us on the Chicago water taxi.  Tickets cost only $10 for an all day pass and you can buy them onsite at 400 North Michigan and Trump Plaza.  If you want to outsource the architecture lessons to an expert, Chicago has several architecture tours:

1.  Chicago's First Lady Cruises - 90 min, $40 daytime, $43 night ride - Riverside Garden site, learn design of 50 buildings; now ranked by Trip Advisor on the list "10 Great US Tours"
http://www.cruisechicago.com/

2.  Wendella Chicago River Architecture - 75 min tour, $30 adult, $15 children under age 11 - dock near Trump Tower, learn about the architects;
https://www.wendellaboats.com/


3.  Shoreline Architecture Tours - 75 min. tour, adult $35 day, child $21 day, $29 adult night tour, $13 child night - see the Wrigley Building, Trump Tower, Marina City and more.  Depart at Navy Pier's Polk Bros Park;
http://shorelinesightseeing.com/


If you prefer to combine sports and architecture, use your muscle and kayak the river with Kayak Chicago: $69/person 
http://www.kayakchicago.com/tours/architectural-tour/


After the trip, talk about the types of building people live in today.  Perhaps you live in a house, but you saw a lot of apartments in the big city.  Ask your kids about other structures from the past (igloo, teepee, log cabin, pyramid).

"The Bean", Photo by Krenda

 We ended the trip walking to Millennium Park and admiring the Cloud Gate sculpture.  The reflective steel sculpture commonly called "The Bean" was the first public artwork in the US by the famous artist Anish Kapoor.

Gym Class #11: 7 Bungee Trampoline Places

Bungee Trampoline, Photo by Krenda

If your kids like trampoline parks and want to go even higher, consider a bungee trampoline.  Take jumping to a whole new level using bungee cord tethers attached to a jump harness.  Not only do you gain height, it also allows you to try flip after flip.  Do this activity at your own risk.  Operators act as safety spotters, but they will require you signing a release waiver before jumping.  We splurged for bungee trampoline ($15 per 5 minutes) at the Northstar California resort in Truckee (near Lake Tahoe).  We stayed at this beautiful resort for my friend's wedding.  While the resort is known for skiing (Outside Magazine 2014 Best Ski Mountain for Families, Travel Channel Top 5 Spots to Snowboard in the World), we visited during the summer and still found plenty of activities.  The Northstar's Kid Zone also offers spider climb, miniature golf, roller skating, and gem painting. 

Here's seven other places within the United States offering bungee trampoline experience: 

1.  Jackson Hole, WY: Cody Lake Teton Village, WY.  We stayed at a condo in Jackson Hole, but must have been so busy with national park activities that we missed the kid activity area.  1 activity ticket $14, must weigh between 40-60 lbs., fly up to 24 feet in the air.  Drop tower ($14), tramp sightseeing, and ropes course ($37).
2.  Big Sky Mountain, MT: 50 Big Sky Resort Rd, Big Sky, MT, near Yellowstone Park, 3 minute jump for those weighing 40 lb. to 180 lb., also offers skeet shooting for adults, whitewater rafting, and fly fishing

3.  Mt. Hood Skibowl, OR: Adventure Park, 87000 US 26 Government Camp, OR.  recorded a jump of 15 feet; also offers alpine slide, batting cages, zip line, and disc golf.

4.  Beaver Creek resort Vail, Colorado:  I've also stayed at this resort, but during ski season.  The bungee jumping opens June and ends in September.  One session $14.  Adventure Center also offers gem panning, ropes course, and climbing wall.

5.  Okemo Mountain Resort, VT: 77 Okemo Ridge Rd, Ludlow, VT, single jump $10, four jumping stations, heights of 20 feet plus, also offers mountain coaster, Segway tour, AMP energy big air bag
6.  Treehouse World, PA: 1442 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA; no age min. as long as meeting min. 20 pounds, also offer archery tag, rock climbing on trees, and wooded nature trails
7.  Fun Stop Family Action Park, TN: Pigeon Forge TN, $7 ticket, also offers BOGO go kart tickets 9AM to noon and big top arcade; if you are looking for nearby lodging consider our luxury rental cabin in Pigeon Forge named Indigo Moon Lodge
www.indigomoonlodge.blogspot.com

Science Lesson #5: Ice Castles in Wisconsin & 10 Other Places to See Ice Castles

Ice Castles, Photo by Krenda

If you grew up watching Superman and the fantasy of the Fortress of Solitude and then have a daughter who loves Frozen and the magical winter landscapes, you might also dream of Ice Castles.

What began as a dad entertaining his kids in his Utah front yard, Ice Castles is now company providing a magical experience to thousand of visitor in multiple locations (Colorado, Utah, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Alberta).  We visited the Ice Castles in Wisconsin Dells.  Later years placed the Wisconsin Ice Castles in Lake Geneva.

The Ice Castles have impressive size with approximately 10,000 icicles, castles over 20 million pounds each, and can stand up to 30 feet high.  It can take approximately six weeks to build.

You can purchase tickets only (approximately $23) or book a hotel package.  We booked the hotel package through Mt. Olympus.  For the Lake Geneva location, check out Geneva National Resort or The Ridge Hotel for packages.

It captured my attention and we spent several hours, walking through the caves and tunnels in awe.  Entry was timed and I chose evening, so we could see the castles illuminated with bright LED lights.  Every area was unique and the artists told us every location and day is unique because the icicles are grown daily and hand placed.  I wasn't the only one smitten by the natural grand architecture and winter playground.  CNN, Travel & Leisure, and Oprah.com featured the event too.  Oprah.com describes the experience as magical too "magical...twinkling and sense-defying and straight out of fairytales."

We spent more time than we had planned.  Ditch the princess gown and crown, wear your warm snowpants and boots with grips.  You'll walk on bumpy paths of crushed and ice snow.  Your kids will see the ice slide and they could wait up to 30 minutes for the unique ride.  Also, take time to ask questions to the employees - they might be the ice artists and they provide more background about the castle construction and ice science.

The Ice Castles LLC made 3 of the 10 sites listed in Fodor's Travel "10 Amazing Ice Castles Around the World" by Annie Bruce (2017).  Here's the full list in case you are fortunate to travel around the world:

1.  Stratton Ice Castle- Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont

2.  Snow Castle of Kemi - Kemi, Finland, biggest snow fort in the world

3.  Lincoln Ice Castle - Lincoln, New Hampshire

4.  Jungfraujoch Ice Palace - Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, among the highest in the world in the Swiss Alps

5.  Eden Prairie Ice Castles - Eden Prairie, MN

6.  Harbin Ice Festival - Harbin, China, largest ice festival in the world

7.  Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace - Saranac Lake, New York, castles as tall as 60 feet high

8.  The Fairmonth Chateau Lake Louise - Lake Louise, Alberta, giant blocks of ice

9.  The White Pines Cottage Resort - Calabogie, Ontario, 800 blocks of ice from Black Donald Lake

10.  Quebec Winter Carnival - Quebec City, Quebec called "Bonhomme's Palace" using 300 tons of ice