My class has started studying tidepools. This coming week, we are building a model of a tidepool in our classroom. I grabbed Alanna and Titus this evening and dragged them to the beach so we could collect rocks, shells, and anything else the kids could use to make their model. When you're not looking for barnacles, you see them everywhere. When you want them, you can't find them anywhere! Beach #3 was where I finally found these guys. There is a law that you can't bring home anything living when you are tidepooling or you have to pay a fine. I was pretty sure these barnacles are no longer living in the hard shells, but I am no barnacle expert. I grabbed a couple of rocks and threw them into my backpack hoping I wasn't killing tiny innocent creatures in the process. I got halfway to my car and was overcome with guilt over not knowing if I was displaying the proper tidepool etiquette, so I walked all the way back to the beach, put the rocks back, and hunted for barnacle shells that were 100% vacated. I have never been an animal rights activist, so I am not sure why saving barnacles was so important to me tonight. Alaska is turning me into a softy.
On another note, I found a chiton today! I have never seen one before so I was pumped. My kids loved it too, especially since we have a huge poster in our room called "Chitons of Alaska" so they got to look at it and compare it to the ones on our poster.
Can you tell I am loving teaching in Alaska?! 
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