WW: Metro Science and Engineering Fair {Linky}

Mica's Science Fair Project: Stacking Vegetarian Against Fast Food Diet was 1 of 20 that won at his middle school. His middle school is a science magnet school, and has 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders, so this was a pretty big deal. He had a high fat and carb diet for 2 weeks, and a vegetarian diet for 2 weeks. He kept a food journal, weighed himself every day, we took his blood pressure every day, and paid attention to his stool. Let's just say that he was a grump, and super gassy on the unhealthy diet. He was much more tolerable on the healthy diet.

His project went on to compete against all the other best science fair project in Omaha at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium this Saturday.

We checked him in at 7:30.

Then Travis, Isaak and I had the world's best zoo to ourselves for the most part. The zoo didn't open until 10. We didn't waist any time. We started off in the Aquarium. It was too cold to hang around outside. 

We stayed awhile watching the penguins.

There were a lot of orange things in one aquarium.

Ok so one yellow-green living thing.

The Jelly Fish are so cool to me. They are like watching a lava lamp.

 I've painted a few octopuses or octopi in my life. Did you know that the plural of octopus can be octopuses or octopi? 

We don't get a lot of time alone with one child, so we took the opportunity to shoot photos with just Isaak in the Rain Forest.

Isaak took a photo of us too.

This peacock walked right on past us outside.

My favorite moment was hard to shoot. A gorilla feeding her baby.

The baby had some playtime after eating. I think he or she just discovered their feet.

Mica didn't place in this Science Fair. He was really bummed. I felt bad for him. One of the judges gave him their business card. He thought for sure he won something. I said that he should just be happy he got that far. Life is difficult at times.

Aquarium

I have to apologize, I said I'd post something on the zoo once a week. I've failed. I still have more parts of the zoo to feature. There's just so many pictures to go through. I shouldn't make promises I can't keep.

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium didn't always have that last part as part of it's name. It's true we don't have a big aquarium like the one I went to in Chicago. The aquarium that is attached to Omaha's zoo is amazing. If you visit, don't ignore it. It's not a separate fee to get in.

When you walk in there's a welcoming gigantic blue tank. 

The tank is filled with mostly these fish. I'll admit it, I didn't write all their names down. My family was already being very patient with me, so I could take pictures. Lots of pictures.

The bottom of the tank is filled with what looks like silver glitter. I know it's not that, but that's what it looks like.

 
Then we saw my favorite, the puffins and penguins. The penguins were being fed, so they were extra active.

Waiting for food.

Swimming for food, or just for fun!

Mingling:

Quiet time for this one:

They have a glass bubble kids can go in to see them swimming. You really feel like you're part of the penguin family when you're in the "bubble". Mica stayed there for awhile. He loves the penguins. Mica told me a joke from one of his books, "I wish the Antarctic had tornadoes! Then penguins would be able to fly."

Travis was laughing at me because I asked if the white things on the sides of a Puffin's head is fur, hair, or feathers? I know it's feathers, but it looks like hair.

More than the sharks, eels creep me out. 

These little eel like things stuck up out of the sea floor. Weird!

There's also a lot of tanks consisting of fish (I don't know all their names), sea plants, and starfish.

This one looks like it's say, "Hello!".

There's a gigantic glass arch tank that you can walk under and through. It consists of sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and more.

He or she is waving at you.

The jellyfish remind me of lava lamps. I love taking photos of them!

I'm not sure Omaha needs an aquarium. The zoo has a big enough one to get a taste of aquatic plants and animals.