Insectarium Field trip

On Thursday, February 20th we took a field trip to the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium in New Orleans.  I didn’t get as many pictures as I hoped.  I was in charge of this field trip since Amy was not able to attend.  I entered behind our group and most of the kids took off with their friends except for Luke who was diligently trying to do the scavenger hunt.



Luke pointing to the huge grasshopper which is his nickname.

Bug Appétit

Luke was so nervous to eat a bug, but he ended up eating one that was in the salsa. I tried almost everything and Levi enjoyed the chips and salsa.

Grasshoppers in honor of Luke


Some of the cool beetle displays

Maggie's first field trip

Everybody's favorite area - the butterfly garden

Thankful that Daddy got to go with us

As per our tradition after a field trip or play day in New Orleans, we ate at Corky's BBQ in Metarie with friends.

Baton Rouge Discovery Concert

Back on  October 25th, our homeschool group, Bayou Cajun Homeschoolers, went to the Baton Rouge Symphony Discovery Concert.  This is an annual event that take places on 2 different days for school groups to come and experience a taste of the symphony along with educational aspects.

When they begin, the music director goes through each instrument sections teaching the kids which instruments are in each group (strings, percussion, brass, and woodwinds)  Also, someone from each instrument will play a short piece to allow the children to hear how each instruments sounds and is played.

Also, each song that was performed taught the children about how composers use different techniques to express a particular mood through the music.

Theme:

Play Me An Adventure

Repertoire:

Francis Scott Key – The Star-Spangled Banner

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade

George Gershwin – An American in Paris

John Williams – E.T. The Extra-terrestrial “Adventures on Earth”

Klaus Badelt – Pirates of the Caribbean

Here’s our group:

The BRSO did a great job!  It was an excellence experience for the children. 

Conrad Rice Mill

Back in August, we had a 2-part field trip.  First, we went to Conrad Rice Mill which is the oldest working rice mill. 

We split into 2 groups…one watched a video while the other group toured the mill and vice versa. Our group watched the video first.  It talked about how the cajuns, their lifestyle and language. 

Afterwards, our tour guide told us information about how the rice is grown.

To plant the rice, the farmers flood the fields and then fly overhead to drop the rice seeds. When it is not rice season, they use those field to raise crawfish.

After the video, we toured the rice mill.

Inside the mill, they had a replica of the building that opened so that you could see where the machines were located and how the process went.

You could tell how old everything was especially with the signs that were handwritten.

She is holding some rice meal. However they can't sell it for human consumption because the walls around the machine aren't closed in. You can see it in the background on the left picture. However, they do sell it to farmers to supplement in their livestock feeding.

While we sat on the porch, she talked about the average rice consumption for the US vs Louisiana vs the cajuns. I can't remember all the numbers but I think the cajuns eat rice 65% of the time. Think about it: jambalaya, red beans & rice, etoufee, gumbo, rice pudding, etc.

Our neighbors just started homeschooling so this was their 1st fieldtrip with us. Mrs. Lisa was very helpful with the younger ones...holding Melody so I could take pictures.

After the tour, everyone got to try some of their Wild Pecan Rice. It doesn't have pecans in it, it just has a nutty flavor and is very aromatic. It's a hybrid of 2 types of rice and is between a white rice and a brown rice. So it is healthier that white rice but more fluffy than brown rice.

Then we went to the local city park and had a picnic lunch although it was extremely hot. Thankfully the park was well shaded and had a pavillion with picnic tables. I didn't take any pictures there because it was a time for the moms to fellowship while the kids played.