Daycare's fieldtrip to the Nature Reserve

Living here in Costa Rica and having immediate access to jungle and animals galore has proved so enriching for all my little students, never mind me! We are exposed every day to life with various plants, animals and insects alike. Two of our "daycare dad's" are park guides in the local National Park and are teeming with information. One such dad, Roy connected us with one of the local nature reserves and we were able to plan and carry out an awesome field trip. We took all our kids (most accompanied by parents) and went adventuring into the jungle to see what we could see. Below are a few examples of what came across our path.

Super excited about our new friend, the frog.


Part of the reserve has a butterfly farm and it was amazing. Tons of butterflies zipping about. This particular butterfly took a liking to Franco.


The eggs that the butterfly has laid, in the hopes that one may survive.


Una mariposa!


Roy, Jimena's dad, was able to find all sorts of surprises for us, like this caterpillar that hides under a leaf for protection.


If only I could remember all the names. Either way, good lookin bugs.


This one is my favorite with it's beautiful interior and disguised exterior.


This one landed on Benedicte, Maxime's mom.


Hiding in a light fixture. Wish I had another shot that showed the light fixture, which was also in the shape of a butterfly.


Yikes. Luckily for us, this snake is behind glass.


This one however, was not.


Next stop, the crocs.


And my dad thinks HE has a big head. This is the papa of the crocodile family living in the reserve. Oh yeah, and he is enormous.


The adolescent section of the crocodile family. The kids were eerily pensive through this part of the exhibit. I think they realized that moms and teachers alike in one swift move could make this croc family happy and offer them up a tasty little snack. Maybe we should start bringing them here more often.


Also part of the reserve are the croc's friends, the turtles. This guy is totally tolerant of the turtle's antics.


I am serious, they are friends.


3 turtles in a row.


Woah little turtle, watch your feet!


Checking it out from the water. Here in Costa Rica, a body of water is your best bet for beating the heat.


Check out the tail on this one.


So cute, these mom's with the kid's backpacks.


Post-adventure. So tired. Beautiful.


Overall, great adventure for the kids, teachers and parents alike. We made it out of their with all of our kids, lots of new stories and all about 5 pounds lighter on account of all we sweated during our walk/hike. So worth it though. What an education.