The Living Desert- Indio, CA- April 26, 2008

My favorite
North American Desert
Kestral
Spicebush Swallowtail
Javalina


Saturday school isn't always a bad thing; in fact, we had a great time visiting The Living Desert and didn't mind at all, that it was a Sat. For various reasons, we often miss a weekday of school and will make it up on the weekend. We headed out early as the temperature was predicted to hit 100 degrees. Now, that is not nearly as bad as 100 degrees at home, when all activity would cease and we would sit, dripping in exhaustion, with any effort. 100 degrees in the desert is hot, but if you sit in the shade, you almost always feel a cool breeze. Becky gave me a copy of Desert Solitude by Edward Abbey (some of you may be familiar with) and I've enjoyed reading how he describes the desert, in an extraordinary way.

The Living Desert is broken down into two main parts; the North American Desert and the African Desert. Each section contains plants and animals that one might see in each type of desert. Though the kids had been there before, they were eager to see it again and we had a wonderful time exploring and learning. Unfortunately, many of the animals were taking a siesta in the heat of the day, which is how they are able to survive in such extreme circumstances.

We had lunch in the African section where they have recreated an African village, except for the food which was hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, and ice cream! The children loved the petting
zoo and the butterfly house, where we identified many varieties and watched butterflies emerging from the chrysalis stage.

When we returned home, we had to fit in P.E. so a trip to the pool was in order. There were no complaints about Saturday school.............