O is for Octopus and Ocean

 I had this out on the table, and Kate spotted it immediately.  She was very excited to do some "homework".

 She is starting to understand 1:1 correspondence!  I love to see that moment when something just clicks for her.

 After the fifth leg, I had to help her with the dots.  We took turns sticking them on and counting them.

 I made her a special octopus in the ocean lunch.

 Kate is always happy to play in the water.  I added a drop of blue food coloring and gave her ocean animals to play with.

We visited the Ocean Explorium in New Bedford.

They have a female octopus.  Do you see the Lego bricks in the tank?  We learned that the staff members build Lego structures around her food, and she has to work to get the food out.

We found Nemo!

And Dory!

It was breakfast time for the sharks and stingrays.

It was fun to have Grandma with us!

These are shark eggs!  Wild!

This fish is a master of camouflage on the sandy ocean floor.

Kate's FAVORITE part of the Ocean Explorium was the touch tank.  At first, she was timid and would only look or touch certain critters.  She quickly warmed up and became braver.  Then she wanted to touch and hold everything.  The staff members were very patient, knowledgeable, and helpful.  I really appreciated how great they were with Kate!

The Explorium truly is a little gem in the area.  It's a nice place to learn more about the local ocean life.  It was also a fun way to conclude our letter O fun!