Homeschool Trecks: Paradise in Key Largo, Florida

Florida Nature Viewing App is the bird app that my wonderful husband put on my phone. Check it out if your ever in Florida and have an interest in birds.

Day in Paradise! Literally we found paradise!
First thing, to kick off the day, was coffee, but then we went kayaking. We had complimentary use of kayaks at the Sunset Cove Beach Resort in Key Largo, Florida www.sunsetcovebeachresort.com.

There were two tandem kayaks we had use of. So we set off on yet another treasure hunt. Little Dotcom created mini aquariums with various creatures she found. Among them, a tiny sea star, a jelly fish, a baby horseshoe crab and a huge sea slug that tall TLC found.

Little Dotcom really wanted to bring these little creatures and their ecosystems home and create a salt water aquarium at home.

We saw an invasive exotic species, green iguana. I thought they were a native iguana until I read at Pennecamp State Park that they were invasive.

As we continued to kayak and observe sea and land life along the Buttonwood Sound. Dotcom reached into the shallows to collect creatures for her water ecosystems. She found a Cassiopea jelly fish and she attempted to pick it up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiopea

Do you know what happens when you try to pick up a stinging sea creature? More than likely your going to get stung. Well that's what happened to this little curious girl. She was shocked and slightly disappointed, that she suddenly dropped it. She tried to retrieve it again with a paddle but it was too slippery. She finally decided that she would leave it be.

After our amazing kayaking trip we attempted to drive towards Key West. We stopped at a beach called Annie's Beach. We saw a small octopus about 28"-30" in diameter. What an amazing sight, right on the beach, hidden under a rock, an octopus. It became a little angry after it was being poked at and grabbed from it's dark, hiding lair. It eventually released it's ink and it changed it's color from brown to green then pink. It became one angry curled tentacled, beaked, inking sea creature. Not to be reckoned with. We all just observed from this point.

After a short time of walking in soft, squishy white sandy goo that shaped each toe crevice. Both girls were stung by something hidden in the watery, muddy depths.

So we drove back to our paradise to watch the sunset. To our surprise there was a manatee (AKA: sea cow) right off the dock. So amazing and exciting.

A sea cow coming up for a breath after munching on sea grass.

That evening after dark we cold see below the lit up docks. We saw a blue crab swimming, a horseshoe crab crawling and a lobster walking.

What a wonderful filled day with lots of live treasures.