little hands, big dunes

we've been exploring creation with swimming creatures this year.  i have to confess...  *deep breath*  when the mama homeschool day is feeling the exhaustion  of a dense schedule, science is easy to put on the back-burner.  i'm learning that it's okay.  if need be, we've even gone at least 2 months off of history before *gasp* to explore other things.



i confess my shortcomings to make you feel better about your day.  you know... as a friend would leave her house messy before a visit - to make you feel better about your lil' mess.  ummm... yeah.  i like a lil' notice. ;)

{please don't tell me that you are always on par with schedule and your house would pass a white glove test.  i might just crack under the pressure.  i kid.  maybe.}



where was i going with this?  oh, yes.  sea turtles.  this homeschool field trip was an excuse to take a road-trip to the beach about rebuilding the dunes for sea turtles to lay their eggs.  this area is still rebuilding from a previous storm.  it's come a long way! 

it was quite complex.  dig. pour compost. place plant. cover root.  rocket science.  

the challenge was doing said rocket science in the down. pour. ing. rain.  cats and dogs - on and off.  every time the moms took out their cameras - it began to pour.  so much so, that i began to call my camera the rain-maker.   oh, how we could have used that over the summer in our texas drought.  thankfully, it was not freezing.  so, we sucked it up... for the turtles.



in this stretch of beach, the only thing cleaned is man-made trash.  gotta love a natural setting.  most of the rain cleared.  the children played.  we were already drenched, so a splash in the water did no harm.  matter-o-fact, it was good for the soul.

just before leaving, gracie found a plastic bag in the water and quickly snatched it up to throw away.  "mom, this could hurt a sea turtle!"  yes, gracie, great job.  so proud of my girlies.

thankfully, it is not my nature to leave my littles in the sand dunes.  you know - like mama turtles.  i wrapped my wet fish in towels and made the road-trip back home.  ignoring their pleas to drive all the way home, find swimsuits, and trail back to the sand.  because i'm a good mother {repeat to self}.

we did manage to squeeze in a lil' math, too. ;)