Treasure

Last week Calvin said, "I want to go search for gems."
"Where? In the wash or at the park?" I asked.
"No. In a cave."
"Well...I'll have to think about that."

I guess that's what I should expect when the Kindergarten lessons for the past two weeks have been "Rr for Rock" and "Jj for Jewel." 

I got on-line and searched for Colossal Cave.  We've been there before and I wasn't feeling very excited about taking two boys through the 45 minute cave tour by myself. Especially since I was doubtful that we could actually find gems in that particular cave.

I was surprised to discover that there are a lot of other things to do and see at Colossal Cave Mountan Park!  Picnicing, horseback riding, historic buildings, a butterfly garden.  Most importantly for us was The Sluice where in Wild-West fashion you can pan for gold.  Perfect! Fifteen minutes later we were headed East. 

In and of itself, the sluice was very entertaining.  The boys made bridges over the water and sent leaves rushing down the chute. I ended up purchasing a Gemstone bag and a Fossil bag from the gift shop.  Then using the water chute and the sifters the boys washed away the sand and mud, leaving behind our treasures!  We took two small bags home with us, along with a picture chart showing possible finds.  

The biggest hit, however, was the Discovery Tour game (the blue papers they are clutching). Using the map we found each of 18 stations around the park and a paper punch at each station allowed us to mark our progress. Then we took the completed papers to the gift shop for another treasure! A polished rock!

All-in-all it was a great afternoon full of unexpected treasures. 
Here are a few other little gems from around Colossal Cave Mountain Park.  

"The Cowboy"
Who can resist a windmill? 
We ended the afternoon with some ice cream on the way home. 










Have I ever mentioned how much I love Homeschool Field Trips! 

Where do you like to Field Trip with your kids...homeschooled or otherwise?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wow! That looks like a fun day... makes me want to head there this very second. I especially LOVE the pic of your younger peeking around the older as he peers into his sieve/pan. Priceless! kmc
March 15, 2011 at 4:16 PM
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