2010 ~ February 19-20 Nashville, Tennessee
We took a group of girl scouts to Nashville to the Aquarium to be a Marine Biologist for a day, we spent the night at one of the mom's time-share. We stopped in the Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg to eat dinner.
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| Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg |
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| Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg |
Day 1: Friday, February 19, 2010
At the Time-Share the girls swam, ate snacks they danced, and played games.
The next day the girls dissected a squid, went on a scavenger hunt, listened to a lecture about fish that was in the aquarium.
The next day the girls dissected a squid, went on a scavenger hunt, listened to a lecture about fish that was in the aquarium.
We were taken to the back room of the aquarium to see how the fish are care for, to see how their food is prepared.
We were shown where the divers go into the aquarium tank, afterward, everyone was given a quiz when we finished the quiz we were served a meal. When we finished eating, we divided into groups and took the girls shopping.
Marine Biologist for a day
February 20-21, 2010 we took eight girls scouts to the Nashville Aquarium in Nashville, Tennessee to be a marine biologist for a day.
Day 2: Saturday, February 20, 2010
The girls met at the Aquarium Restaurant at Opry Mills Mall at 8:30 A.M.
The girls were Marine Biologist for a day at the Stingray Reef, each girl was given a Tee Shirt & a name tag with The Nashville Aquarium inscribed on the front of it.
Each was given an all-day pass to the Stingray Reef, where they could pet & feed the Stingray, visit the exhibits, ride the carousel, and they were given a discount card of 15% off at the gift shop.
The Marine Biologist asks if anyone was afraid of the snake before we enter the backup room.
If so, to let her know, because she was going to take out a Scarlet Kingsnake to show the girls. Everyone was okay with going into the room.
The biologist brought out a Scarlet Kingsnake, which is very similar to the Coral Snake.
We were told that it is found in the southeastern area of the USA. We were then told how it’s a tri-color pattern of black, red, and yellow mimic the venomous coral snake.
She said just remember that red on yellow can kill a fellow; red on black is a friend of Jack.
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| Scarlet Kingsnake |
The girls petted the Scarlet snake, they could see, they could feel how smooth and shiny the snake was for it had just shed its old skin.
Their next project was to dissect a squid, on each table, for each girl, was a dead squid, a tray, and scissors.
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| dissect a squid |
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| dissect a squid |
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| Squid are marine cephalopods |
The girls were told that Squid are marine cephalopods, there are over 300 species
The Girls were told about the anatomy of the squid, how the main body mass is enclosed in the mantle, how the skin is covered in chromatophores, which enables the squid to change color so it can camouflage itself from its prey.
They went through the anatomy of the squid from the nervous system to the Reproductive system (they were told to cut the ink sack into) were shown the ovary of the female and the testis of the male. In the digestive system are the stomach, bolus, caecum (for digestion), liver, and rectum. In the Cardiovascular system, the squid has three hearts.
The head end bears eight arms and two tentacles that contain suckers along the edge.
The girls were divided into groups of two and given a paper with questions to be answered by doing a scavenger hunt. They had to read the information on each of the displays to find the answers.
Some of the animals were the: tarantula spider, crocodile lizard, Piranha, Coral reef, Rococo Toad Bufo Paracnemis, stingray, Knight Anole, Emerald tree boa, Potbelly seahorse, clownfish and sea anemones.
They spend a few minutes petting and feeding the stingrays and we proceeded to the Aquarium Restaurant where there was a 200,000-gallon aquarium full of tropical fish.
Their project was to learn about the fish that lived in the 200,000 aquariums, their environment and then to go behind the scenes of the aquarium.
After the lecture on the aquarium and the behind scenes tour, we were all given an aquarium super fun puzzle and the questions were:
The stingray’s last means of defense was is. Barbs
A group of fish is? School
The natural filter of the ocean? Shellfish
How a fish breathes? Gills
What divers use to breath underwater? Scuba
The back support of squid? Pen
A cartilaginous fish that people are afraid of? Shark
Fish spend 30 days here before going on exhibit? Quarantine
Saving resources for future generations? Preservation
An endangered animal with plantlike qualities? Coral
Opening located on the underside of rays head? Fill-slits
A fish skid? Scales
The top fin of a fish? Dorsal
The real skin coral of the green moray eel? Blue
One category of fish? Bony
An increase in the earth’s temperature caused by pollution? Global warming
Using a limited amount of resources? Conservation
A venomous snail from Indonesia? Cone-snail
Cousin to sharks and rays? Guitarfish
A snakelike fish? Eel
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| Question time |
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| Answering the questions |
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| group picture |
Behind the scenes, we saw the holding tank for the aquarium, quarantine system, where the fishes water was prepared, main pumps, main sand filters, bio towers, and main chillers, carbon water filter.
We walked upstairs to where the fish were in a quarantine tank. We entered another area where we walked along with a narrow walkway overhead of the aquarium where the lighting, air condition ventilations were to see the working of the aquarium. This area is where the divers go into the aquarium, where the chemical is despised into the aquarium.
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| Diver in aquarium |
We visited the kitchen was a fresh fool is prepared daily for the fish and then to the laboratory.
We all got to look into a microscope to see some of the bacteria that might get on the fish.
We were allowed to hold a sand dollar, sea urchin, and starfish. After the question and answer time in the lab, we all went to the restroom to wash our hands.
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| Washing our hands |
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| Posing for a group picture |
We all pre-ordered our lunch, so it was ready when we finished our being a marine biologist for a day.
Our table was prepared, so we all sat down, we were given a quiz before we were served lunch.
Lora and I shared a Lettuce Wrap, that was filled with a Grilled shrimp basted with the lime marinade and served with seasonal vegetables.
After lunch, we divide into three groups and went into Opry Mall, I had Emilee, Brianna, and Ashley. Lora had Madison, Santana, Megan, and Sarah and the other woman had her daughter Kaitlyn.
We stopped at Build-a-Bear Work Shop, the Rainforest Gift shop (where the girls put snakes around their necks and I took their pictures) Emilee bought a mood necklace, I bought the girls chocolate candy, Brianna bought chocolate-covered cherries, Emilee and Ashley bought chocolate covered Marshmallows, and I bought a chocolate-covered pretzel. We stopped at one store where Brianna put on an Irish Green hat and a scarf, I took Brianna’s picture, she took my picture. I was wearing a crown that said, Kiss me I am Irish. We tried on a couple more hats, took a few more pictures then we walked back to the aquarium. We went back to the stingray aquarium rode the carousel, and the girls feed the stingray.
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| Group picture at the Aquarium |
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| Getting a back rub |
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| Trying on hats |
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| Trying on hats |
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| Stopping at the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop |
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| Ready to go home |
We waited for Lora, she was still shopping, the other woman said she had to go home, I took Megan, Ashley, Brianna, and Kaitlyn with me along with Sarah and Emilee.
We all went looking for Lora, Madison, and Santana. We walked around the entire Opry Mall, we met up with Lora, Madison, and Santana at the Apple Barn.
After a few more stops, we walked to the car and started home. It took forever getting out of the parking lot. We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's in Columbia, TN bought some hamburger’s for supper and rode home. We arrived home at about 6:30 P.M.
Aquarium !
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