If you’re just reading this blog for the first time, we are a family of three traveling across Canada (and likely beyond) in a 1994 VW Westfalia camper van called Juju Jr. Our son Ethan, age 9, is unschooling and so we want him to learn from being on the road and traveling. So he’s also now a roadschooler and we are documenting the trip and his learning on this blog.
After arriving late in Sault Ste. Marie last night, we wanted to spend a slow day here and enjoy some local activities. One cool thing that happened was that our “neighbour” camping at the Walmart parking lot was also from BC, and doesn’t live far from us back home.
She’s also on a cross Canada trip, so it was nice chatting with someone about what they’re doing and hearing a bit about her journey, so far. I think it was also good for Ethan to know there was someone from home doing what we’re doing.
From her Instagram, we can see that she makes beautiful jewelry and sells it on Etsy. She’s also been blogging a bit about her trip and was nice enough to mention us. Thanks, Krista!
Ethan actually sent her a text telling her about his YouTube channel 🙂
Morning
After breakfast and some wafer cookies, we stayed in the van so I could get some work done. As we got ready, we researched memberships as science centres because there is something called a reciprocal agreement between science centres in Canada. If you get a membership with a participating science centre, you also get free admission to other centres across Canada, and also around the world.
The only caveat is that you need to get your membership from your local science centre. So we ended up getting memberships to Science World in Vancouver with some kind help from the membership services staff member; and it was all done over the phone.
What happens is they give you a temporary membership card in an email that can be used while we travel. We almost bought a membership here in Ontario, but they have a rule that wouldn’t have allowed us to use our Ontario membership back home. It was a little confusing, but in the end, it made sense and was well worth getting.
We woke up quite late, so we didn’t go anywhere until the afternoon. Ethan was again super helpful in getting the van ready for the day.
Afternoon
We finally got going and made our way to the Sault Ste. Marie insectarium, Entomica. We were able to gain free admission because of our Science World membership. Very cool.
We weren’t sure what to expect but were very happy to have gone to see the insects. Entomica is a great place for insect lovers and especially, kids because you get to hold the insects and really see them up close.
Ethan had an awesome time learning about the different insects, where they’re from, what they eat, etc. The tour guide, Max, was super in explaining things and asking Ethan questions, such as what nocturnal means. Ethan knew, probably from watching Planet Earth or listening to the science podcasts.
There were some truly cool insects and Ethan’s favourite was the praying mantis that looks like a dead leaf. Ethan learned about how the praying mantis catches its prey and that its eyesight is about as good as ours.
Ethan also learned what an invasive species is when Max showed us the massive snails they had.
When looking at the Frog Legged Beetles, Ethan learned that the beetles’ colours come from prisms in their bodies.
Finally, we saw the giant scorpion and learned that the larger scorpions have less potent venom because they don’t need to rely on their venom to kill prey. Instead, they can use their large claws to catch and kill prey. Ethan learned that scorpions have eight eyes and that their claws are actually a part of their mouth.
And I got to hold it, so that was very cool, too.
After seeing the bugs, we all wanted pizza from Mill Market, which is where Entomica is, too. Not sure why seeing bugs would make us hungry for pizza, but since we’ve cooked every meal except one since we started our trip, it was a nice treat. And it was delicious!
Once we scarfed down the pizza, we wanted to check out the famous Locks. The Locks were completed in 1895 and were the first electric locks in the world. In case you don’t know, a lock is like what’s in the Panama Canal… A ship comes in, the water level is raised or lowered, and the ship then continues.
The Sault Ste. Marie Locks are the last part of the waterway connecting Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean. Pretty cool. What was even cooler was that we happened to be there when the last boat of the day was coming in. We chatted with the lock operator and got to watch first hand as the boat entered the lock, was lowered, and then carried on.
The most amazing thing is the the mechanism that opens the second set of doors is the original one from 1895. Incredible. Ethan loved the entire experience.
The lock operator suggested that we take a short walk to Whitefish Island on the other side of the lock to see the rapids and understand why the lock was built. The walk was nice and having to cross a bit of water was refreshing and a lot of fun. Seeing the rapids and America on the other side, was also pretty cool.
On the way back from Whitefish Island, Ethan asked if he could feed peanuts to the local squirrels. We explained that the squirrels need to survive on their own and that feeding them our food would make them dependent on us, rather than on themselves, which is how it should be.
He picked three flowers and like the last time he did this, he said each flower represented one of us.
Ethan found a different flower he liked and took some photos, too.
Evening
After leaving the Lock, we wanted to see the boardwalk. We simply drove by and ended up at the local public library. The library was built in 1966 and was one of the most organized and best kept libraries we’ve seen.
Ethan and I both got some work done on our computers. He played a bit of Algodoo and created a new optical illusions book using Apple Keynote.
I should mention that we haven’t allowed Ethan to use Algodoo or Scratch in a while because he broke some rules in regard to time on the computer. But since his behaviour and attitude have been so good lately, we decided to let him use Algodoo again. He was pretty happy about that.
We stayed at the library until closing and had dinner in the parking lot, as Dong Eun had cooked while were in the library. Ethan helped dry the dishes after dinner, which was pretty cool and very helpful.
The sunsets out east have also been pretty spectacular. Different than seeing them out west, but beautiful just the same.
We went back to the same Walmart we stayed in last night, as it was close by and allows campers. Not all Walmart stores allow campers because they don’t always own the parking lot.
Anyway, Ethan did some writing in his journal and he drew a picture of someone climbing an apple tree and eating apples. He was inspired to draw this picture because he really wanted to have some apple. However, it was almost 10:30pm and anytime he’s had apple at night, he gets a tummy ache, so he’ll have to wait till morning.
He asked what “I’m sorry” is in French, so we Googled it. He’s really into French these days. It’s interesting to see how he gets really into certain things.
The journey continues!
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