A trip to Khamai Reptile Centre

When we lived in South Africa 16 years ago we managed a farm called Richmond Game Farm.  On the corner of the farm there was a little park called Swadini Snake Park and we were friends with it's owner.  So on our return to SA we decided to take Sir N and Miss J and go back for a visit.


A lot has changed in 16 years and we had a wonderful day rediscovering Donald's park which has been renamed Khamai Reptile Centre.  I highly recommend his website it is full of interesting information. Donald is an expert on snakes from all over the world so if you have a snake question get in contact with him.

Khamai was opened as Swadini Reptile Park in November 1984.

MISSION STATEMENTS

• To conserve through education and research. 
• To locate, propagate and relocate rare and endangered reptiles. 
• To establish viable captive populations of rare and endangered reptiles.

In the Park there are an assortment of cement figures and one Sir N particularly enjoyed was the life size figure of a Nile Crocodile.  I think he was a little bit overwhelmed by it sheer size (so was I) and enjoyed climbing on it.  We learned about the Nile Crocodile during our Egypt Expedition Earth Study before we went to South Africa.

We then went over and had a look at the small one Donald had in an enclosure just behind the model.

At the Park you can find Lizard Rock Cafe where I can remember enjoying the most wonderful hamburgers for dinner. Sir N enjoyed exploring the interesting dinning room.


There are numerous snake enclosures to explore and I took loads of photo's of snakes and all variety of creepy crawlies.

This is an African Rock Python (Python Sebae).
 

• This snake can grow to 30 feet in length and is Africa's largest snake and the third largest snake in the world.
• They are non poisonous and kill their prey by constriction.
• Females lay eggs of up to 100 eggs in a clutch which she aggressively defends. 
• The babies are 18-24 inches in length.
• These snakes can live up to 12 years in captivity.

This is a Black Mamba.

• They get their name from the blue-black of the inside of their mouths which they display when threatened.
• These snakes can grow up to 14 feet in length and travel at speeds up to 12mph.
• They can strike from 4-6 feet away. Before antivenins were developed, a black mamba bite was 100% fatal.
• The Mamba has a lifespan of 11+ years.
• The fangs are Proteroglyphous and the venom is Neurotoxic.

Snake Skeletons of interest


One of the most interesting displays I found was one showcasing different snake head skeletons.

No Fangs Aglyphous Non Venomous Snakes.

Back Fangs (Opisthoghlphous) Venomous Mostly Semi Venomous but also Boomslang and Vine Snakes.

Front Hinged Fangs (Solenoglyphous) Venomous Adder or Vipers

After a good look around the different enclosures in doors Donald arranged for us to hold, touch photograph a snake.  I must agree with Sir N I don't like touching snakes however Miss J really enjoyed the experience.

There are three Squirrel Monkeys living in the gardens and when they saw we had some lollies they wanted in on the action.

Sir N with a Squirrel Monkey on his shoulder.

It was so good to see Donald and how much his park had grown.  If you ever find yourself in South Africa take some time to pop in and explore the park and take some time to get to know these interesting reptiles.

Blessings
Chareen

Week 4 & 5 - Photography Challenge Showcase

Today is the last of the Photography Challenge that Erin has hosted over the month of May.

22 Sibling Love

"My Sister!"

23 Friendship 

This is my friend from high school.  She made a special trip to visit me.

24 A photo of Smiles

Happy Birthday Mike. Ginger Pride a  21st b/day bash ... loved his smile.

25 A photo that touches your heart

Father and Son driving up to the house on the farm.

26 A photo that makes me laugh

This photo makes me laugh because
Paul pulled this face as I took the photo and surprised me. 
This is is his New Zealand pose !

27 A photo of the Bush

Evening stroll enjoying the African bush.

28 A photo of candle light

29 A photo of hands

Sir N appreciating one of Nan's roses.

Enjoying fresh stream water after a walk to the waterfall..

Paul serenading me ...

30 A photo of play

Cousins quietly playing as the adults chat in the Kruger National Park

31 A photo of Love

1 Corinthians 13:4 - 6

Dave & Julienne celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Thank you Erin this challenge has helped me look for new photography opportunities and challenged me daily ! 

Don't forget to check out Erin's post and see the photographs that others have taken .

Blessings
Chareen
Week 1 - Showcase
Week 2 - Showcase
Week 3 - Showcase

Ten of my Favourite Homeschooling Sites

Discovered this blog hop over at iHomeschool Network and thought that looks like fun.

 This one is a little late (it was hosted on 22 May submissions close 29 June) so if you have some great sites to share join in and add your linky over at Many Little Blessings.

1. Sonlight My all time favourite. I have been a Sonlight junkie for 15 years now and still ♥♥♥ my catalog! I love the Sonlight Community they are always willing to support and encourage anyone.  As a home school mom who really liked the Charlotte Mason philosophy I was at a loss as to know which books were good to read to my children and which books were twaddle.  Sonlight answers this question for me time and time again. Whenever I want to know what to read or if I have a friend in need of a book for school this is my first port of call. You have the choice of searching by Grade or Subject / grade.

2. Practical Pages - Nadene is a veteran homeschooler with an amazing ability to make you feel right at home on her blog. I love her gentle encouragement and her easy practical blog posts.  Her philosophy is simple: "The Lord said, "Freely you have received, freely give," and you may freely download these pages for your own personal use."  Take some time to check out her Art Activity pages, FREE Notebook pages subdivided into 16 sections,   and for those of you who follow the teachings of Charlotte Mason check out Nadene's Charlotte Mason corner where you will discover a treasure trove of links and practical ideas.
3. Jimmie's Collage I first discovered Jimmie's blog after wondering around The Notebooking Fairy and I am so pleased I did. Jimmie is a veteran homeschooling Mom with a down to earth approach to home educating her daughter Sprite using a Charlotte Mason method through notebook pages and lapbooking.  Jimmie has a great Pinterest board brimming with ideas (1153 pins to date) and her Freebies page is overflowing with Links to great sites along with her sister site the
4. Notebooking Fairy when I first started looking for Free notebooking pages I discovered this site.  It is brimming with inspiration.  On the first Friday of each month the Notebooking fairy hosts a Notebooking Round-Up where Jimmie posts links, photo's and video's to do with Notebooking she has found during the month.  There is also a Show Off section where you can see how different homeschoolers  have used Jimmie's pages, as well as a Notebooking Spotlight area where you can meet other homeschoolers using Notebook pages in their home school.  The Notebooking Fairy has FREE printable pages categorized into eight learning areas.
5. Confessions of a Home Schooler I discovered Erica's corner of the web when looking for some interesting things to do with Sir N while waiting for the new school year to arrive and my order from Sonlight. I LOVE her printable's and ideas and think she is super woman homeschooling four children and still finding time to bless the home school community with amazing resources like Expedition Earth (which we are using alongside Sonlight),  The World's Greatest Artists (FREE), and World's Greatest Composers Vol 1 to mention a few. Erica's site is brimming with practical how to and Do It Yourself tutorials. Take a look at her 10 Days of Homeschooling Enrichment and if you are in need of a boost as a home school Mom take some time to read Candid Conversations with God.
6. Pinterest Need I say more ?? Although this application can chew into your free time or cause you guilt and paralysis if not kept in check. Having said this Pinterest can be an incredible resource for any homeschooler.  The www is an enormous place and Pinterest is an excellent place to meet homeschoolers who are pinning the best of the web and help you filter out the dross. Happy Pinning !
7. Notebooking Pages This site is hosted and moderated by Debra Reed a homeschooling Mom to 7 of her 10 children.  There is a paid subscription for this site BUT you have lifetime access to the notebook pages that are on the sight when you join.  If you choose not to rejoin you do not loose access to your pages which are numerous.  You can print any and/or all pages as often as you like for use with your family (or single classroom) over & over, for years to come! There are a few samples for you to look at.  I think this is excellent value for money.
8. Handbook of Nature Study sometimes I wish I lived in the northern hemisphere to fully take part in the Nature Study assignments !  Great inspirational site for those of you looking for support in your Nature Study adventures.  There are 26 Freebies to help you along with Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter tabs to give you seasonal inspiration.  There is a weekly Outdoor Hour blog carnival Challenge to inspire and encourage you. Barb is also the host of
9. Harmony Art Mom the sister site to Handbook of Nature Study.  Barb is a seasoned Mom with plenty of experience and a great encourager to any home school Mom on the block. She hosts Sketch Tuesday a weekly Art Meme and  being a veteran homeschooler having educated her four children at home (3 have graduated) she has some wonderful blog categories to read through.
10. Education.com This is a great site overflowing with worksheets, printable's and activities. The only negative is sometimes it's hard to navigate. Worksheets & Activities category is divided into school years and has some really easy to do DIY.

I have enjoyed having a poke around my favourites folder and choosing ten to share with you today.  I would love to know which ten sites are your favourite.  Don't forget to pop on over and see what other homeschoolers have said are their top ten!

Blessings
Chareen

Linking With: Many Little Blessing, Learning All the Time,