•12:28 PM
From the Apologia booklinks section
An Indoor Solar System Activity Here is an activity you can do indoors to get an idea of how far the planets in the solar system are from one another. You will need 392 paper clips, 9 items that can be used to represent the planets (marshmallows, for example), and the floor of a pretty long (about 41-feet long) hallway. It is best to use a floor that does not have carpet, as the paper clips can get caught in the carpet. It is also best to use small paper clips. If you can find paper clips that are smaller than the standard 1.25-inch paper clips, a shorter hall can be used.
Procedure
1. Start at one end of the hall and put 4 paper clips end to end. Mercury orbits the sun at the end of the 4th paper clip. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the fourth paper clip to indicate Mercury is there.
2. Add 3 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Venus is there.
3. Add 3 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate earth is there.
4. Add 5 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Mars is there.
5. Add 37 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Jupiter is there.
6. Add 44 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Saturn is there.
7. Add 96 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Uranus is there.
8. Add 108 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Neptune is there.
9. Add 92 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Pluto is there.
An Indoor Solar System Activity Here is an activity you can do indoors to get an idea of how far the planets in the solar system are from one another. You will need 392 paper clips, 9 items that can be used to represent the planets (marshmallows, for example), and the floor of a pretty long (about 41-feet long) hallway. It is best to use a floor that does not have carpet, as the paper clips can get caught in the carpet. It is also best to use small paper clips. If you can find paper clips that are smaller than the standard 1.25-inch paper clips, a shorter hall can be used.
Procedure
1. Start at one end of the hall and put 4 paper clips end to end. Mercury orbits the sun at the end of the 4th paper clip. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the fourth paper clip to indicate Mercury is there.
2. Add 3 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Venus is there.
3. Add 3 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate earth is there.
4. Add 5 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Mars is there.
5. Add 37 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Jupiter is there.
6. Add 44 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Saturn is there.
7. Add 96 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Uranus is there.
8. Add 108 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Neptune is there.
9. Add 92 more paper clips to the line. Put a marshmallow next to the end of the last paper clip to indicate Pluto is there.
Ammonites were named after an Egyptian god named Amun, but are said to have been extinct for 65 million years. The god had a rams horn behind each ear, which look similar to an ammonite. Hmmm... I wonder if Egyptians named them because they found live ammonites or fossilized ones. 
Picture perfect opportunities exist all over the zoo. This is one of the many statues located near the snake house.
I see this one around here a lot. It's one of my favorites! Flowers are another one of God's fingerprints that he leaves on this world. To observe the complexity, color, variety and detail of flowers is just amazing. It an expression of His amazing complexity and grace on us. What a wonderful thing they are!
Daniel (in the middle) was paying close attention to something our cave guide was talking about. He likely had a flashlight on something because Daniel wanted to do some spelunking. He enjoyed using the walking rails to walk on the opposite side of the steps... on the dangerous rocks. 
This cave was created by an earthquake on the Balcones Fault Line. From the observation tower, you can see where this fault line separates the Texas Hill Country and the Gulf Coastal Plains. It's interesting to see the dramatic change. You can honestly see the hills on one side of the fault line and the plains on the other. Very cool.
These are some interesting formations in the ceiling of the cave. Most of them are fossils from this the time when this area was under the ocean. Your guide will tell you that it was billions of years ago, but we believe maybe only thousands. Most of us are aware that Texas was under water very recently... most scientists agree with this.
Some more geological formations.. this, I believe, is call rock coral.
And finally, this is the "Anti-Gravity House". The whole house sits at an angle. It's a huge optical illusion that puzzles your brain. It seems like it would be easy to stand up in this thing, but your brains tells you that you should be leaning at the same angle... causing you to fall on your bottom! The trick to this ball thing is that the track is still at a downward angle, but not as much as the house. It seems like the track is going up. When you place a pool ball on this track, it appears to go up. They have the same display with water. It's fun and puzzling!
