A Joyner Jaguar Travels to Barcelona, Spain!

The Joyner jaguar recently traveled to Barcelona, Spain with first-grade student Elliott.

 Some well-known sights in Barcelona were designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, who created wonderful buildings and spaces throughout the city. The jaguar got to visit Park Güell, and see some beautiful mosaic works, including the famous “Gaudí dragon.” 

The jaguar also got to see Sagrada Família, a Roman Catholic church that was begun in 1882 and designed by Gaudí as well. It is very decorative and huge … and it is still being built! When it is done it will have a giant tower with a cross on it.

The jaguar stayed in a building around the corner from the cafe Els Quatre Gats, where artist Pablo Picasso liked to visit while he trained in Barcelona early in his art career. The jaguar got to visit the restaurant and also visited Museu Picasso, which showed how the artist explored various styles of painting and drawing during his life.

 

Elliott and the jaguar enjoyed starting the days with a typical Barcelona breakfast: chocolate con churros. Yum! Another typical meal involved little snacks called tapas or pintxos.

 

Thanks so much Elliot for taking our Joyner Jaguar to Spain, and then coming back and sharing your experience with us.  What an amazing learning opportunity!

JYJ Jaguar in the Philippines

Malaya and her family recently returned from a trip to the Philippines.  One of our Joyner Jaguars accompanied them on this incredible journey.

Malaya and her family spent one morning at Villamor Air Force Base passing out relief goods to typhoon victims.

Here they are with cousins, Julia and Maia, at the Mind Museum.

Next they arrived at Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, an island province of the Philippines.

Here Malaya tries to teach the Joyner Jaguar how to weave a place mat. ..

The Tricycle was their mode of transportation in the provinces.

This is the Underground River, one of the recently named natural wonders of the world.

 

This is one of the most popular modes of public transportation in the country, the jeepney.

The beaches in Palawan are some of the most beautiful in the world. 

 Here is an optical illusion set up on one of them

You can also jump into the silk water at one of the island’s beaches.

Or snorkel and observe the incredible sea life. Here Malaya is holding a grown up starfish!

A kalesa is another way to get around the Philippines.  Most locals don't use them now, but these horse drawn carriages were used in the 1900s by nobles and the upper class in the Philippines.  They were introduced by the Spanish at the beginning of the 18th century.  

Here is a professional pot maker.  He made a vase with a wheel that he spun  around manually.

This is the historic city of Vigan, a World Heritage site because of its well preserved colonial architecture.

Before leaving the Philippines, Malaya and our Jaguar visited the largest mall in the country, the Mall of Asia.

Joyner Jaguar to NYC

The Joyner Jaguar recently took a trip with Ms. Hutchinson to New York City for a weekend over the Thanksgiving Break. Here are some of the places the Jaguar, Ms. Hutchinson, and her family went to learn.

First, they visited Castle Clinton at the tip of Manhattan. Ms. Hutchinson learned that this building site started as a fort, it was an opera house, the welcoming point for immigrants before Ellis Island opened, and an aquarium! There is a National Park site at this location now.  The Junior Ranger program is a great activity to do with the kids!

Then they walked over to the site where George Washington was sworn in to be the first President of the United States. The original building no longer stands, but the Federal Building is the site and can be visited as a National Park. The first floor is a museum about that time and the early history of New York City. Another great Junior Ranger program can be found here as well! Here is a picture of the Jaguar with the foot of the Washington statue.

Being the mascot of an International Baccalaureate School, the Joyner Jaguar had to stop by and visit the United Nations. The whole area in front of the buildings were blocked off with renovations. 

Then the Jaguar joined Ms. Hutchinson at the New York City Library for their exhibit about Why Children’s Books Matter.

The Jaguar got to sit in the Goodnight Moon room, walk through the cut out of the Beast from Where the Wild Things Are. And finally was introduced to the original stuffed animals that inspired “Christopher Robin” and Winnie the Pooh. These animals now are owned by the New York City Library. This was Ms. Hutchinson’s favorite part!

Jagi Visits the Midwest

Sydney took a Joyner Jaguar on here family trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota.  They visited many sights in Minneapolis that will enhance her studies in Social Studies and Science.

Welcome to Minneapolis!

Sydney and Jagi stop to admire the Mary Tyler Moore statue in downtown Minneapolis.

Jagi visited Minnesota Sealife.  He learned about the life cycle of a jelly fish.

A big fish is swimming near you...Watch out, Jagi!

Time for the amusement park.  Sydney and Jagi visited Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States.

Jaguar's Trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Kaden and Connor went on a family trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  A Joyner Jaguar was lucky enough to join them on their journey to this beautiful city.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the west coast of Mexico off the Pacific Ocean's Bahia de Bandaras, Bay of Flags.  It is visited by many tourists and known for its diverse culture, architecture, and terrain.  It is the perfect spot for learning opportunities as well as rest and relaxation.

Kaden, Connor, and Jaguar loved playing 

in the resort pools and ocean.

They enjoyed the traditional Mexican fiestas, 

sombreros, and Mariachi band.

When Kaden and Connor got in the pool to swim, dance, and ride the dolphins...

 

 the JYJ Jaguar was perfectly happy to watch from the deck!

When it was time to get kissed by some fishy-breath sea lions, the Jaguar decided he was happy to keep his distance.

The wildlife in Mexico is very interesting.  

Watch out Connor, don't let me get too close to that Iguana!

It was a wonderful trip that our Joyner Jaguar will never forget. 

A Jaguar Learns About Mexico

Camryn and Mackenzie took a JYJ Jaguar on their trip.  They learned about many countries and made connections to what they are learning about in Spanish class at Joyner.

Here they are in front of a pre-Colombian pyramid.

And shopping for sombreros.

It was a great learning experience that they all will remember!

Across the Border to Canada...

Pierre-Michel and his family traveled to Canada with one of the Joyner Jaguars...

We visited Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. The falls were very big and when we looked down it freaked us out because it looked very deep!

Then we visited the National Museum in Ontario.Here is a picture of us with a Japanese crab. There were a lot of things from long ago in the museum.  There were even mummies!

The CN Tower in Toronto is a really big tower, and you can take an elevator to the top.  The top floor is made out of glass so you can see the city.

We spent some time in Atlanta too.  It was a great trip!