Volcanoes and Reptiles

Of all the things to leave at home, we left our camera! Our Volcano/Earthquake/Tsunami experiment kit arrived from HomeScienceTools.com and the kids are super excited! I was not sure whether this kit would be as good as the National Geographic Volcanoes and Earthquakes one but since I needed 2 day shipping, I decided to go with this cheaper one.

I'm happy I did! There are 24 experiments, easily done and we're going to do about 6 of them here. I don't know where my in-laws keep all of their stuff so finding 'household items' for the experiments is more like a scavenger hunt I don't necessarily want to do at this time. There are experiments for continental drift and the earth's core as well so this is actually a great buy for earth science studies. Looks can be deceiving with science kits, you'd think that there should be a whole lot more in the kit- cool stuff like the National Geographic kits are but really this one may look simplistic but it packs a lot of fun and educational value, not to mention simplicity for the parent/teacher into one non-consumable box! We'll be able to use these for Danny when he gets older so I'm a happy Mama.

Getting a new friend update: Camille's turtle at her dad's is a suspected Herman's Tortoise. A family friend will send one so we're being very careful about this long-term decision and making sure we understand exactly what we're getting into. Seeing turtles/tortoises on others blogs, websites, etc. seem like a lot of fun but there is a high degree of responsibility that goes along with the fun. All reptiles carry salmonella in their feces, which is no problem for our OCD hand-washing family but it is a major consideration for families with young children who may stick their hands in their mouths after touching a reptile before a parent is able to wash their hands.

Another MAJOR consideration about adopting a reptile friend is their life-span and vet needs. Turtles/tortoises and other reptiles can outlive their human friends considerably, thinking about long-term responsibility of the animal is the most important part of the care. Acquiring a reptile for novelty and because it might seem "fun" in the short-term leads to many reptiles deaths, neglect and abuse. Find out before you get a reptile about their needs (housing, long-term care, foods, and their natural environment), purchasing an animal before fully understanding about what is required to take care of them is irresponsible. Find out where the nearest reptile veterinarian is located and how much it costs for care of your reptile, this alone may deter someone who isn't truly ready for such a responsibility.

In our research, we've read many disheartening stories of how animals have been mistreated, neglected and abused due to the irresponsibility of the once-excited new reptile owners. It goes back to the saying, "if you cannot say anything nice, don't say anything at all", "if you can't take the proper responsibility, don't even start."

We've decided on a turtle/tortoise because we can get a captive-bred one from a family friend, handling it will be easier for our children than a leopard gecko or snake, and we're able to create a natural environment in the backyard for it as well as inside the house without too much trouble. Another plus for us is the food requirements for a Herman's tortoise, we can easily create a "tortoise garden" filled with plants that keep a tortoise fed in a healthy manner.

Okay off to create a volcano and seismograph...