It's amazing what you can get away with for a "school project" :-)!
Lucas was supposed to watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly; but, they don't sell them here. And, I haven't been able to find any on the leaves around here. So, since we're studying invertebrates, I got some! Jon didn't even get upset. He thinks they're kind of interesting. Plus, he never has to clean up after our pets anyway so it's not much hassle for him :-).
I gave Lucas a choice between a crayfish or some shrimp. He chose the shrimp. So, we now have four shrimp (plus more on the way :-)) and a "sucker fish". The fish is not an invertebrate, but it is useful for keeping the aquarium clean. No, the shrimp are not going to be on the menu!
The shrimp are actually fun to watch. They're constantly moving! They're called "ghost" shrimp (or "glass" shrimp) because they're transparent. It was fun to feed them bright red food and see it go into their stomachs. That way I knew if they all had eaten or not. Lucas and Eliana really enjoy shining a flashlight into the aquarium to see them (I need to buy a light).
I'm not really sure if two of them are males (I know we got two females). Hopefully the eggs will hatch and we'll get to see the baby shrimp (except, I hope we don't get too many!). I guess if we do, we can sell them to a pet shop :-). Lucas and Eliana helped me pick out the names. We named them all on the way to church this morning :-). And, Bungee hasn't found them yet :-).
POX(He's spotted so he looks like he has chicken pox.)
SAMNotice the red food in his stomach (behind the eyes)
SONYA and SALLY
(notice the little green eggs they're carrying)