If anyone has any questions about the information in my blog..... or would information about the Monarch Teacher Network, please contact me using my email....
lrizziello@yahoo.com
Monarch Butterflies at Pismo Beach
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Finally Home
Made it home with all my books and rocks!!! I had a very nice person at the airport help me lift up my books. Thank heavens for helping hands!!!
Looking forward to sharing on Monday!!!!
Looking forward to sharing on Monday!!!!
Getting ready to head back to NJ Saturday, 2/26
Up and trying to get packed.... wondering if I am going to have to "wear" many books stuffed into my jacket to get them all home. Between the rocks that I collected to bring back to my class to show them how different the rocks are here in CA and all the books, I am glad that I have been lifting weights at the gym to get in shape back home!!!! Sure hope I don't have to get rid of my rocks at check in due to weight....and sure hope their will be a nice gentleman to help me lift my carry on suitcase into the overhead space for flight!!!!!
For anyone interested..... here is the link to the Monarch Teacher's Network.... if you love nature, are an educator, or just love butterflies ..... you can become part of the network... if you do, it will be the most amazing connection for you. The individuals who are part of our network are amazing and gifted in so many ways...so do join... sign up for a workshop... none in your area... contact them to have them bring the network workshop to your area... the MTN is always looking to add new locations and new connections to people all over the world!!! Yes, even overseas!!!!
http://www.eirc.org/website/Programs-+and+-Services/Monarch-Teacher-Network.html
Here's to hoping for a non eventful flight home!!!! Can't wait to return to CA in the future!!
For anyone interested..... here is the link to the Monarch Teacher's Network.... if you love nature, are an educator, or just love butterflies ..... you can become part of the network... if you do, it will be the most amazing connection for you. The individuals who are part of our network are amazing and gifted in so many ways...so do join... sign up for a workshop... none in your area... contact them to have them bring the network workshop to your area... the MTN is always looking to add new locations and new connections to people all over the world!!! Yes, even overseas!!!!
http://www.eirc.org/website/Programs-+and+-Services/Monarch-Teacher-Network.html
Here's to hoping for a non eventful flight home!!!! Can't wait to return to CA in the future!!
Notes For Friday the 25th, final day
We had a wonderful last day on our trip. We woke up to a terrible rainstorm. Winds were whipping and we feared we would have a really wet day. Just as we finished breakfast, the sun came out and the skies cleared. Amazing how quickly the weather turned in our favor.
We loaded the bus and headed to Muir Woods for our last visit to see the Redwoods. The park was beautiful with the sun shining all around and mixed in with the all the trees. The trees seemed to sparkle with the left over raindrops and rays of sunshine. There were some waterfalls and running water under bridges that made those relaxing water sounds. As expected, the Redwoods were a sight to see. Event though we spent the other day visiting the redwoods at Henry Cowell park, we found this visit just as breathtaking.
After buying up even more books to bring home, my fellow travelers had to pull me away from the bookshelves once again, we loaded up the bus to go to the Earthquake Trail which was located inside the state park, Point Reyes. What an interesting walk this was for all of us. We actually stood on the San Andreas Fault line!!! The fault runs right through this trail and is now marked with posts. They had all kinds of interesting facts and information about the famous 1906 SF earthquake that destroyed most of the city. There was even a fence on the fault line that was divided and moved 16 feet after the quake. This shows how the earth below actually moved the land 16 feet in one direction.
We also walked the second trail that marked the area Native Americans once lived in the area. This was in the Great Bear Valley part of Point Reyes. We were able to enter a real sweat lodge that was used years ago by the natives. They used the sweat lodge to "sweat out" all the toxins for 2-3 days hoping that this would also provide them a vision, a vision of how to solve any issues or concerns that affected the tribe.
After walking those trails, we headed to the lighthouse. The view of the land as we twisted and turned up and down the winding roads on the way to the lighthouse were amazing. By now it was mid afternoon and the winds had picked up and the temps were very cold. Luckily we were all dressed in many layers. I was so thankful I remembered to pack a pair of gloves!!! There were 300 steps that take you down to the lighthouse to overlook the water with an amazing view. Of course 300 steps down means 300 steps back up!!!
After our exhausting day, we loaded up the bus and headed back to SF to get ready for our farewell dinner together. It was such a life changing week for all of us. We were so sad to see the week come to an end. Our trip organizers from the Monarch Teacher's Network did an amazing job putting this trip together for us. We all learned so much and are excited to share that knowledge with our classes back home. Thank you Eric, Brian, and Luella.... you are all correct, this trip was truly a "gift" for all of us to share......so excited to help out this upcoming summer!
We loaded the bus and headed to Muir Woods for our last visit to see the Redwoods. The park was beautiful with the sun shining all around and mixed in with the all the trees. The trees seemed to sparkle with the left over raindrops and rays of sunshine. There were some waterfalls and running water under bridges that made those relaxing water sounds. As expected, the Redwoods were a sight to see. Event though we spent the other day visiting the redwoods at Henry Cowell park, we found this visit just as breathtaking.
After buying up even more books to bring home, my fellow travelers had to pull me away from the bookshelves once again, we loaded up the bus to go to the Earthquake Trail which was located inside the state park, Point Reyes. What an interesting walk this was for all of us. We actually stood on the San Andreas Fault line!!! The fault runs right through this trail and is now marked with posts. They had all kinds of interesting facts and information about the famous 1906 SF earthquake that destroyed most of the city. There was even a fence on the fault line that was divided and moved 16 feet after the quake. This shows how the earth below actually moved the land 16 feet in one direction.
We also walked the second trail that marked the area Native Americans once lived in the area. This was in the Great Bear Valley part of Point Reyes. We were able to enter a real sweat lodge that was used years ago by the natives. They used the sweat lodge to "sweat out" all the toxins for 2-3 days hoping that this would also provide them a vision, a vision of how to solve any issues or concerns that affected the tribe.
After walking those trails, we headed to the lighthouse. The view of the land as we twisted and turned up and down the winding roads on the way to the lighthouse were amazing. By now it was mid afternoon and the winds had picked up and the temps were very cold. Luckily we were all dressed in many layers. I was so thankful I remembered to pack a pair of gloves!!! There were 300 steps that take you down to the lighthouse to overlook the water with an amazing view. Of course 300 steps down means 300 steps back up!!!
After our exhausting day, we loaded up the bus and headed back to SF to get ready for our farewell dinner together. It was such a life changing week for all of us. We were so sad to see the week come to an end. Our trip organizers from the Monarch Teacher's Network did an amazing job putting this trip together for us. We all learned so much and are excited to share that knowledge with our classes back home. Thank you Eric, Brian, and Luella.... you are all correct, this trip was truly a "gift" for all of us to share......so excited to help out this upcoming summer!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Amazing Thursday-2/24
Today was an amazing day. We started off leaving Monterey and headed towards Santa Cruz. We stopped off at a spot on the road when we saw a bunch of sea lions on a ramp by a boat. There were at least 100 of them all bunched up and making such noises!! We all inched our way down to the ramp and were about 50 feet away. The sea lions all just looked at us, made noises, and they didn't seem to mind us taking pictures of them. Do you know the difference between a seal lion and a seal?? A sea lion has little ear flaps and can us its flippers to help walk on land. Seals have no outside ears, just slits, and they only use their bodies to move. They can't use their flippers to help them move or get up on land. While watching the sea lions, along came some sea otters!!!! The seat otters were very funny and seemed to be teasing the sea lions. Sea otters are very cute, have fur, and roll over and float on their backs. They are very, very cute and playful!!!
After taking our pics, we moved on to a state park called Natural Bridges. There was once 3 natural bridges here, but now only one remains. At this location, there is a Monarch Sanctuary, but there were no Monarchs there today. Actually the naturalist told us that the Monarchs have left that location much earlier this year. So instead of looking for the Monarchs, we walked down to the beach area and saw the natural bridge. There were muscles all over the bottom of the bridge which is made of rock. We were also very lucky to see 2 pacific starfish. They were purple in color, very pretty to look at. Since we didn't see any Monarchs at this location, we decided to head up the road 3 miles to Lighthouse Field. This was another sanctuary. We did see some clusters of Monarchs there, and we were all thrilled that we ended up there today. What great pics we all took!!!
Then we were on our way up the coast to Henry Cowell State park. This would be our first real look at the Coastal Redwoods. We were so lucky to have two wonderful tour guides (better known as Docents), Ken and Anita. A husband and wife team originally from the NY area. They were amazing, and there is only one word to describe our visit to this state park.... WOW!!!!! We all walked through the park viewing the Redwoods with eyes wide open and jaws dropping at each turn. Did you know that in this park amongst the Redwoods there are also some Douglas Fir trees?? The Douglas Fir that are there have grown to be almost as large as some of the Redwoods. Their root systems are very different. The Redwoods do not have a tap root. Their root system goes horizontally underground, and will spread out as far as they are tall. So if a Redwood is 200 feet tall, their roots will spread out 200 feet. This makes the Redwoods very stable in the ground. The Douglas Fir are different. They have a tap root and some spreading of their roots underground, but nothing like the Redwoods. Because of this, the DF trees will more easily fall over. The tallest Redwoods can grow to be 380 feet tall and be 2200 years old, yes, I said 2200 years old!! That is not a typo!!! Amazing....
We all enjoyed this day and were very thankful that the rain held off until we were done. I found once again today many new books to bring back to my first graders. I am now wondering, how in the world am I going to get all those books back to NJ?? My luggage will be very heavy!!! I have also been collecting many post cards. I thought the class would love to see some of those as well. I have taken about 600 pics so far. One more day to go... We will be heading to Muir Woods first thing in the morning.... and yes, rain gear will be needed for sure. They say it may even snow here tomorrow!!! It is raining very heavy now...... We have been very lucky with the weather so far, so one day is not so bad, we will dry off!!!
I did get to call in again today to talk to my first graders. So nice to hear their voices!!! I can't wait to show them all the great books and pics!!! We are going to be reading all about seals, sea otters, sea lions, elephant seals, and Redwoods!!! So much to share!!
Until tomorrow!!!
After taking our pics, we moved on to a state park called Natural Bridges. There was once 3 natural bridges here, but now only one remains. At this location, there is a Monarch Sanctuary, but there were no Monarchs there today. Actually the naturalist told us that the Monarchs have left that location much earlier this year. So instead of looking for the Monarchs, we walked down to the beach area and saw the natural bridge. There were muscles all over the bottom of the bridge which is made of rock. We were also very lucky to see 2 pacific starfish. They were purple in color, very pretty to look at. Since we didn't see any Monarchs at this location, we decided to head up the road 3 miles to Lighthouse Field. This was another sanctuary. We did see some clusters of Monarchs there, and we were all thrilled that we ended up there today. What great pics we all took!!!
Then we were on our way up the coast to Henry Cowell State park. This would be our first real look at the Coastal Redwoods. We were so lucky to have two wonderful tour guides (better known as Docents), Ken and Anita. A husband and wife team originally from the NY area. They were amazing, and there is only one word to describe our visit to this state park.... WOW!!!!! We all walked through the park viewing the Redwoods with eyes wide open and jaws dropping at each turn. Did you know that in this park amongst the Redwoods there are also some Douglas Fir trees?? The Douglas Fir that are there have grown to be almost as large as some of the Redwoods. Their root systems are very different. The Redwoods do not have a tap root. Their root system goes horizontally underground, and will spread out as far as they are tall. So if a Redwood is 200 feet tall, their roots will spread out 200 feet. This makes the Redwoods very stable in the ground. The Douglas Fir are different. They have a tap root and some spreading of their roots underground, but nothing like the Redwoods. Because of this, the DF trees will more easily fall over. The tallest Redwoods can grow to be 380 feet tall and be 2200 years old, yes, I said 2200 years old!! That is not a typo!!! Amazing....
We all enjoyed this day and were very thankful that the rain held off until we were done. I found once again today many new books to bring back to my first graders. I am now wondering, how in the world am I going to get all those books back to NJ?? My luggage will be very heavy!!! I have also been collecting many post cards. I thought the class would love to see some of those as well. I have taken about 600 pics so far. One more day to go... We will be heading to Muir Woods first thing in the morning.... and yes, rain gear will be needed for sure. They say it may even snow here tomorrow!!! It is raining very heavy now...... We have been very lucky with the weather so far, so one day is not so bad, we will dry off!!!
I did get to call in again today to talk to my first graders. So nice to hear their voices!!! I can't wait to show them all the great books and pics!!! We are going to be reading all about seals, sea otters, sea lions, elephant seals, and Redwoods!!! So much to share!!
Until tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wed- Feb. 23rd Monterey Aquarium and Ano Nuevo State Park
Today was another exciting day. Off to an early start, headed an hour out of Monterey to Ano Nuevo. Ano Nuevo is another state park with breathtaking sites and elephant seals. We learned many more interesting facts about the elephant seals. We learned about their breeding habits and migration. Some really cool facts.... once they migrate here, they no longer need to eat!!! They live off of the fat they stored up while feeding before migrating to CA sites. A female elephant seal will start to have babies at the age of 4. Then she will have a baby once a year, every year. They give birth to only one baby at a time. Males, well, there are the Alpha males, the ones who are dominate and they mate with the females. One Alpha male will mate with many females. The other males will try to overtake the stronger one, but they are not usually successful. Baby elephant seals will feed from their mothers for about 4 weeks only. When born, they are about 40 pounds. After 4 weeks, they no longer feed off their mothers and are now about 200 pounds. They must learn all on their own how to hunt and feed. There is no connections between the parents and the new babies after they are 4 weeks old. Only about half of the elephant seals that migrate and are born actually survive. Nature once again has a way of weeding out the weak ones. While walking on the beach at Ano Nuevo, we collected some really cool rocks. I know my first graders will love what I found. Many colors and some rocks with fossils in them. Now, as I was walking and looking down, I almost walked into an elephant seal... there was one sleeping on the beach, but I didn't notice it until I was right there, within a few feet.... everyone looked with amazement that there was just one lone elephant seal right there. The law says that people must stay at least 25 feet away from any elephant seal on a beach. So our tour guide was there to remind us of this fact.
After our hike ended, I found some wonderful books and a DVD on elephant seals in the gift shop...so of course my charge card was put to good use... more books.... can't wait to share them with my class.
We then headed back to Monterey to the aquarium. I couldn't wait to get there, was very excited. I love aquariums and knew that this one was amazing. I loved every inch of this place.... the animals were beautiful and every section was organized so well. Easy to follow. I fell in love with the sea otters. They were amazing to watch. I also loved the sections with the various sea horses and penguins. My only regret, wished I had more time there. I wish I had one more day in Monterey. I really enjoyed my stay at this location and sure hope to come back some day.
I missed making my call into the class today since I was held up by the elephant seal on the beach!! My cell phone was on the bus, and we returned there a bit later than expected. So will try calling in tomorrow...
We are heading back to SF tomorrow with a few stops on the way. Can't believe it is almost Thursday morning.... until tomorrow!!!!
After our hike ended, I found some wonderful books and a DVD on elephant seals in the gift shop...so of course my charge card was put to good use... more books.... can't wait to share them with my class.
We then headed back to Monterey to the aquarium. I couldn't wait to get there, was very excited. I love aquariums and knew that this one was amazing. I loved every inch of this place.... the animals were beautiful and every section was organized so well. Easy to follow. I fell in love with the sea otters. They were amazing to watch. I also loved the sections with the various sea horses and penguins. My only regret, wished I had more time there. I wish I had one more day in Monterey. I really enjoyed my stay at this location and sure hope to come back some day.
I missed making my call into the class today since I was held up by the elephant seal on the beach!! My cell phone was on the bus, and we returned there a bit later than expected. So will try calling in tomorrow...
We are heading back to SF tomorrow with a few stops on the way. Can't believe it is almost Thursday morning.... until tomorrow!!!!
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