Rule of 4 Over 2: Flat Stanley

Kayaks, bikes and snorkel gear. This is the spring break party car.

Flat Stanley is sitting in the cockpit.

Our family was super excited to have Flat Stanley come to visit us in Dayton, Ohio. He came all the way from Hooper, Utah. He was sent to us by Miles Terry, Isaac and Nick's cousin. Flat Stanley arrived the day before we left for Spring Break so Stanley got to visit the Wright Brothers Museum in Dayton as well as the Everglades National Park in Florida.

Dayton, Ohio - Home of the Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville Wright are 2 brothers that invented the airplane. In 1903 they first flew their invention. The flight only lasted a few minutes but subsequently changed the world. Stanley got to see the first airplane the Wright Brothers flew and, because he was a special visitor, Stanley even got to sit in the cockpit and pretend he was the pilot. Lucky guy!

Everglades National Park, Southern Florida

Stanley spent 3 days in Southern Florida visiting the Everglades National Park. On the first day he got to sit in a kayak and paddle through a mangrove forest. He learned about the special places that a mangrove grows and even saw some neat fish and wild Flamingos.

On the second day Stanley went hiking and biking through the pine and cypress forests. He was surprised to find that the water wasn't really swampy at all but very clear and very shallow. It makes a perfect hiding place for alligators. They like to hang out in the deeper pools of water that are present in the winter time and wait for fish and wildlife to come. That is their opportunity to find lunch. Luckily, Stanley kept his distance and never became a human nugget of alligator food. He also saw lizards and birds as well as a snake on his hike.

Geocaching. Flat Stanley found this one.

Working on Jr Rangers

On the last day, Stanley was back in the kayak and paddled out to another mangrove forest. He worked on his Junior Ranger and learned about the ways that conserving water help the wildlife in the Everglades. He also learned about how the alligators in the park, following the food chain, finally end up depending on the tiny fishes and algae that live in the water. Everything is in balance and it is our job as humans to make sure that we don't disrupt that balance too much. We do this by throwing our trash in the trash can instead of just on the ground. We also help by conserving water so that the alligators and fishes have enough water to keep the Everglades their home.