The Backside of Sea World

I started off summer school with a bang or at least an attempted bang. I decided to have each day focus on a letter of the alphabet so Tiago can learn his letters and we can have some base structure. Structure was loose at best but at least our A day included a field trip to see the "Arctic Animals" at Sea World. Ok, I learned at Sea World that the penguin actually is from the Antarctic, but really it still begins with A. We brought along some friends to make the adventure a little more exciting. So I, with no stroller and 5 kids, head to Sea World on our first field trip. (the hopscotch proved to be our first distraction)

To get to the penguins, we had to march clear to the backside of Sea World. On our way, we were lured into a 4-D show about Pirates which was going to start in 1 minute. I asked the workers if they felt like it would be appropriate for my crew of 7 and under kiddos. Just so you know, when a person answers "It depends on the kid". . .just skip it.
The effects were kind of cool, but not worth scaring yours and other people's kids. (the 4th dimension was water and air that squirted on us a key moments). Undaunted we continued our march to the penguins.

Lured in by the kid friendly log ride, we detoured once again. Texas Splashdown turned out to be too scary for a few of our crew so we bailed. Gratefully the kid realized that the ride was a bit too much before we waited the 30+ minutes.
WE stopped for snacks and the much needed water and finally ended up at the Penguin Encounter.

Smell aside, it was fun to see all the penguins so close. Talia even charmed us with walking just like the penguins. It just so happens that her toddle looks quite similar to a penguin. Educated and hot we headed to the Shamu Harbor with the splash park and rope climbing jungle. Just before we made it to the Shamu Ride, Tiago disappeared. I searched frantically only to find him clinging onto the backside of some other mother. Gratefully, it was a mother and not some lady who has never had the privilege to be groped by their child. I quickly and discreetly called him over. Then I took a look at the hiney he had mistaken for mine. Not a flattering mistake. Now, I am under no illusion that my backside is any site to behold, but may be I should hit the gym a little more frequentlty.



The cool down in the splash park and run through the rope area brought our sea world trip to a close. On the way out, Tiago wanted to stop in and check out the Clyde Dale horses that come with the previous owners of Sea World. The horses seemed to be relaxed which made gender identification quite easy. Tiago was quick to point out not only the gender, but the color which was awkward for all the innocent bystanders. We have always taught our kids the correct names of body parts, but moments like these make correct terminology stick out of all conversations going on around. Everyone else who pretended not to notice the obvious additional body part tried even harder not to laugh with Tiago's astute comments.

A pretty educational day.