We have visitors who are summering with us.
Not only are they hard to catch with the net, but apparently they are elusive to the camera as well because this tank has about 30 fish and a gang of snails. These little guys usually live in the school library but we “volunteered” to fish-sit for the summer. I am really glad we did and for a number of reasons.
1.) We are not pet people (allergies, poop aversions, etc.) but I am glad the boys are experiencing being responsible for another living creature.
2.) I told my 5 year old today that he was born to be a fish namer. He immediately named the fish with the most identifiable markings, Moses. And another fish, Sister Moses. For the record, he has been to Temple all of once and that was for a Bat Mitzvah. Now, in an effort to more easily classify the fish, he has named them all the “Moses Clan”.
3.) They have inspired our first “summer study”. My eldest and I brainstormed a fish study plan tonight at bedtime. We’re going to do some fish crafts: fish printing, fish hats, fish observational drawings and imaginary fish scrounge sculptures. We’re going to learn more about the kinds of fish represented in the tank. We’re going to dissect a fish (not from the tank). We’re going to learn about fish skeletons (bones, a very exciting topic in this house). We’re going to eat some new types of fish. We are going to freeze some plastic fish in huge chunks of ice and have a super fishy tub time. We are going to go on a field trip to the aquarium. I am so excited to see the look on my little guy’s face when he’s surrounded by all sorts of swimmy creatures. He kisses the tank often and takes his feeding turn very seriously!
Does anyone have any suggestions for us? Any craft, science, math, music, or any general fish fun to share? Any good developmentally appropriate links?
More fishy updates (hopefully no eulogies) to come…
Edit: I decided to add a photo that I didn’t take at bedtime, not much better.
Since my camera doesn’t have a “fish in tank” setting (seriously, it has a “soft flowing water” setting), can someone tell me how to take a decent photo of captive fish before we hit the aqaurium?
