A Day at the Beach

My little explorers are always getting into something around the house. In the very literal sense, no stone remains unturned around here! This week they were rooting around in the hall closet and gleefully discovered a bin of summer clothing. Who wouldn’t get an itch to hit the beach once decked out in sandals, swimsuits and sunhats?

Anxious to take advantage of the blue skies and sunshine, our family decided to visit one of our favorite summertime destinations – Rainbow Haven Beach. It took a fair amount of convincing, but we finally managed to get Chi-Chi to trade in his sandals for a more reasonable pair of warm winter boots. We compromised by allowing the swimsuit to remain, as long as he wore his snowsuit over top of it!

Despite the fact this beautiful sandy beach is a mere two-minute drive from our home, I’m ashamed to admit we have not been there in months. I must remind myself to visit more frequently as it is the perfect place for an afternoon walk with the kiddies. It turns out that winter may actually be a preferred time of year for a beach walk since you are free of the summer crowds. The kids ran, stretched their legs and splashed about on the edge of the shore. There was lots of exploring and beachcombing to be done as we sifted through the debris and seaweed resulting from the recent winter storm. The little explorers discovered two skate egg cases as well as the shell of a green crab. Now this is the type of exploring I like to encourage! These are much more interesting discoveries than the things they pull out from under the bathroom sink!

With our treasures in tow we headed home to warm up and guzzle down some much needed hot chocolate. Curious little Chi-Chi was quick to pull out his copy of Canada's Atlantic Seashore and look up his discoveries. I was happy to learn something new myself! Though my sister and I collected skate egg cases as children, I never knew they were referred to as “mermaid purses”. A family stroll on the beach opened the door to a lesson in the life cycle of the skate fish for all of us!

Ah, another great day at the beach!