Our news makers, now taking on the job of being our virtual travel bloggers got the opportunity to take a virtual trip by Amazon Explore. Our trip was to the Featherwood Sanctuary in Australia. We had fun seeing the sanctuary’s different examples of Australia’s greatest creatures such as koalas and kangaroos.
This virtual tour hosted by Leone was really great for all of us. She was very kind and very experienced about the park and all the animals. We virtually got to experience some great stories about the park, it’s history and all the animals. We saw and learned about the kangaroos, koalas, wombats, Penguins and much more.
What was fascinating to me was that these penguins that live in tropical temperatures. This was all new to me, I thought Penguins could only survive in the cold. Leone explained to us that these penguins have adapted to the climates in Australia. They have a layer of fat, just like the cold weather penguins, but it is not as thick. This allows them to live on land where it tends to be warmer. However, they are also covered in tightly worn feathers that act like a wet suit. These are all the animals we experienced in Australia.
We also really loved the kangaroos as they were able to jump up high, like we had learned about in various books and websites. Seeing them do it in real life was amazing!
Eric’s Fun Facts
- Kangaroo Joey’s are the name they call their babies and weigh up to 6 kilograms until they leave the pouch (does anyone know how much 6 kilograms equals? a. 25lbs b. 13lbs c. 3lbs)
- Wombats have hard butts used for defense, burrowing, and mating
- 14 species of penguins can survive in warm climates
When seeing the koalas climb on the trees, it was amazing to see them in action. What we learned was that they use climbing as a powerful tool to get food . They also climb to escape danger. So koala bears are actually super heroes. Imagine if we had those powers? We really do! Dr. Christine has taken all of us out hiking and climbing, so we are on our way to staying fit , reducing stress and being our own super hero!
Nicole’s Creative Visualization
A meditation about Featherwood Sanctuary
Find a calm and comfortable place.
Close your eyes as we begin our journey to Featherwood Sanctuary in Sydney Australia. Take a deep breath in and exhale completely. Let your body relax and your mind settle down as we begin our journey through the luscious green park. As you are walking through the path, you notice the ‘ lily philly’ which is a beautiful fruit that grows through all of Australia. As you breathe in and out you feel your body beginning to relax deeper as you smell the fresh wooded scent of the bamboo trees that surround you. When you reach out to touch them they are so strong, which makes them so resilient to any environmental condition. Christine teaches us to stand tall and be strong always, and if you fall, it is ok, you then begin to pick yourself up. As you breathe in and out, try to stand tall and confident in your strength like a bamboo tree. Even on our worst days, we can find the time to mimic a bamboo tree and stand tall like the mountain pose in yoga.
You feel grounded and strong into the earth as we hear the birds chirping and singing amazing songs they create naturally. You take a deep breath in and out and feel very grateful that you have this opportunity to experience this magic as we continue our creative visualization. As you keep walking through the trees you see the rain drops fall off the leaves, you proceed to reach out and touch the leaf, feeling soft and wet from the natural rain. You breathe in and out as you see this beautiful koala smiling at you. You reach out gently to touch the little bear, his fur is so soft. The koala is smiling as you stroke his fur, and that makes you smile as well. You proceed to walk further as you see a bright yellow banana tree. You pick one, close your eyes, and breathe in and out feeling grateful that this banana tree is able to share it’s fruit with you. You peel the banana and take a big bite, it is so fruitfully sweet. You walk to the end of the park looking at all the amazing animals. At the far end of the park, you realize you are at a cliff and am able to see the waves go up and down. As you feel the wind, you breathe in and out and look at the blue ocean. Realizing from the teachings in the News Makers, life is really like an ocean and we are all here to learn how to surf the waves and to stay emotionally steady and physically fit. You proceed to take one more deep breath in and out, knowing that you can come back to this beautiful sanctuary whenever you wish. Dr. Christine has taught us the art of writing creative visualizations, which actually helps us to calm down and center our minds.
Cara’s Art Corner
I chose the Koala because I thought it would suit best with the blog. This picture was painted on mixed media paper, fully done with watercolor. I enjoy using all different mediums for my works, but I chose watercolor because it’s efficient, dries quickly, and the colors come out brilliantly.
David’s Rhymes and Rhythms
The wildlife sanctuary was like a zoo
And we even got to see a kangaroo
The momma kangaroo had a joey in her pouch
He was so heavy the momma said ouch
We also saw a koala bear
He was so close as if we were really there
We enjoyed the Featherdale Wildlife park
It had a lot of pairs of animals just like Noah’s Ark
Scott and Jackson’s Facts about Australia
Our news makers, now taking on the job of being our virtual travel bloggers got the opportunity to take a virtual trip by Amazon Explore. Our trip was to the Featherwood Sanctuary in Australia. We had fun seeing the sanctuary’s different examples of Australia’s greatest creatures such as koalas and kangaroos.
This virtual tour hosted by Leone was really great for all of us. She was very kind and very experienced about the park and all the animals. We virtually got to experience some great stories about the park, it’s history and all the animals. We saw and learned about the kangaroos,, koalas, wombats, Penguins and much more.
I really loved the kangaroos as they were able to jump up high, like I had learned about in various books and websites. Seeing them do it in real life was amazing!
When seeing the koalas climb on the trees it makes me enjoy seeing those creatures in action we learned in the past that they use climbing as a powerful tool to get food and escape danger and then really imagine if they go up high.
What was fascinating to me was that these penguins lived in tropical temperatures.. This was all new to me, I thought Penguins could only survive in the cold. Leone explained to us that these penguins have adapted to the climates in Australia. They have a layer of fat, just like the cold weather penguins, but it is not as thick. This allows them to live on land where it tends to be warmer. However, they are also covered in tightly worn feathers that act like a wet suit. These are all the animals we experienced in Australia.
Dr. Christines’ positive take- away
What is not positive about being so close to beautiful animals, that you feel you can reach out and touch them. Our News Makers were thrilled to see these beautiful creatures in Australia and learn about their characteristics and fun facts. The host was exuberant and lovely and was happy to answer all questions. Animals and nature have a way of lifting every ones’ mood. For the isolated, animals can make you happier than most humans. Getting in nature, even virtually can really help shift your mood. Nature has been researched to be one of the best elements to increase mental attitude. What better way than having the opportunity to do it in Australia. Our News Makers had a wonderful excursion.