Our Field Trip to the Vancouver Aquarium!

Last week we went to the Vancouver Aquarium!  We traveled by bus and many of us thought it was a long way!  Once we arrived we met with our guide for our "Staying Alive" program.  Celine and several volunteers began by talking about animal adaptations with us.  We learned that animals need four things to survive: food, water, oxygen and shelter.

 We also talked about the many body parts that animals have that help them adapt and survive in their environment.  Next we split into three groups.  Each group got their own tour guide!  We got to tour many exhibits, learning about specific animals and how they adapt to their environment.  We learned about the beluga whale, the sea otter, the sea turtle and sea urchins! 

 Celine let us try on a turtle shell!  It sure was hard and heavy!

 Learning about animals and how they adapt to their environment.

Did you know that the beluga has bumps on its back to help it break the ice so it can get up to the surface to breathe.  It also has a blow hole on the top of its head so it doesn't have to turn its nose up to the surface to get air!  

 We also learned a lot about the sea otter.  Do you know why sea otters make so many splashes?  They are creating bubbles that they trap underneath their fur which helps them stay warm.  They also have molars in the back of their mouth to help them eat sea urchins (which is their favourite food!)

 The sea otter also has LOTS of fur.  We pressed our thumb into a sea otter pelt and Celine told us that their were more hairs underneath our thumb than we had on our whole head!!!!!!  That's a lot of fur - another way for them to stay warm.

 After our tour we had some time to explore the many fascinating exhibits and animals in the Aquarium.

 The jelly fish were amazing to watch.  They were so peaceful.

 The colours in the tropical exhibits were stunning.

One of our favourite activities was the "touch" pool.  Everything felt so different than what we thought it would feel like.

Some of us even got our faces painted!

Back at school we webbed all the things we learned and then wrote about our trip.  Mrs. Betts was very impressed with what we had learned! 

Have you ever been to the Vancouver Aquarium?  Do you have a favourite exhibit?