Here are the highlights of the week!

Aquarium
We rejoined the local aquarium, and the girls were so excited to get back for a visit! Monkey held onto the map and served as a very capable navigator. As usual, we arrived with an agenda, and they all agreed we needed to hit up the touch tanks first. Last time we lived here, they were all too scared to touch the critters or ask questions, but now they're all about it! They touched everything the staffers pointed out, and they fearlessly asked questions about different sea animals and the functions of their various strange parts. The girls new-found confidence also meant they got to see the feeding and training of the sea otters this time. It's an extremely popular event, but the girls were brave enough to wiggle their way to the front without me, so they could see and hear everything.

We also discovered some fun little things we didn't see or didn't remember from before. Near the upstairs touch tanks we found an interactive wall that had the girls hunting for camouflaged sea creatures. A few fish managed to completely elude them, but the girls got to be pretty good! Out on the back deck of the aquarium the girls also discovered one of those glass bubbles that you let "enter" the fish tanks.

The aquarium added a new live show while we were gone, and the girls loved it! It takes place in the tidal pool amphitheater, and the actors use both the deck and the tidal pool itself to take us through a history of fishing and conservation efforts in the area. The girls were pretty excited about seeing things like American Indian rafts, Chinese night fishing boats, and Japanese abalone divers in action.

 Library Fun
The girls experienced a paradigm shift regarding the library's story time a couple of weeks ago. Bug in particular was annoyed with the storytime librarian. At some point at home, in utter exasperation, Bug exclaimed, "She's more like a music teacher than a librarian!" I suggested that maybe she should just think about it as a music class that happens to take place at the library. "Oooooh, . . " Now all three girls actively participate in "music class" and have a great time!

Our week actually involved an extra visit to the library to watch a marionette group perform an interwoven re-telling of "The Tortoise & the Hare," "The Three Little Pigs," and "The Ugly Duckling" to the musical suite Carnival of the Animals. The girls managed to get front row seats and were absolutely enthralled. They even stuck around through all the librarian's announcements afterwards, so they could hang out with the puppeteers and get a closer look at the marionettes. We even came home with the book, I Can Make Puppets. They've already been scoping out which puppets we have the supplies on hand to make.

Unrelated to the public library, the girls also rediscovered our home library (beyond their shelves of picture books). Daddy and I actually managed to get our massive book collection organized this time around, and the girls had me give them a tour of all the different sections, highlighting which books are about at their level or simply of interest. Goose has been pulling picture-filled non-fiction off the shelf, Monkey has been poring over a drawing instruction book (not aimed at kids, but fascinating nontheless), and Bug has started reading stories out of the Through Golden Windows series (vintage anthology of stories and poetry for children). Happy little bookworms!

Swimming & Sunshine
I'm making visits to our neighborhood pool a weekly event, and this week we had sunshine to go with it! The girls decided to enjoy their morning snack on the front steps, while "making vitamin D!" (our nutritional studies are sinking in!) The girls are doing well with their actual swimming too. Monkey has gained a lot of confidence in her skills, Bug can swim the width of the pool, and even Goose can jump in solo and swim a few feet to reach me.

International Influences
All the international stories we've been reading lately have been seeping into their playtime lately (it's so much fun to eavesdrop!). Characters and plot points occasionally crop up, and Bug and Goose were especially pleased to show off their rendition of the saris from Mama's Saris.