School Recap 1

The upcoming posts may be a little long but as I've been so far behind on the blog, I needed to get caught up.  As you know this blog isn't only for our family to keep up with us but also a record of our year.  Having it all written down with pictures posted makes the creation of our family album at the end of the year much, much easier to accomplish.  So, although it may seem strange that I'm posting about what happened in April and May, it help me keep track and keeps me sane at the end of the year!

Roseville Utility Exploration Center
I was so happy I was picked as a chaperone for Lauren's field trip to the Roseville Utility Exploration Center.  Anna had been there on a field trip in years past but to be honest whenever I heard the name "Utility Exploration", it sounded a bit boring.  Was I ever wrong!  Not only was it educational but It was also a lot of fun!  If you're looking for an activity this summer, this is a good one.  There is a great playground in the back and the Center shares the space with the Martha Riley Community Library.

 How many libraries do you know of that have a tree inside?  Lauren thought it was really fun!

As for the Utility Exploration Center, it was set up to accommodate the students so I'm not sure what you find if you were to just walk in.   There was so much good information there.  We learned about "One Big Bin" and the decomposition times for household items.  Some were a big surprise.

After lunch on the lawn, another Exploration Center teacher came out, took the garbage can provided for the kids to dispose of their lunch items, and dumped it into a tub.  She then proceeded to go through it and talk to the kids about what they could do to have a zero waste lunch.

 I was surprised to learn that juice cartons like the ones pictured below cannot be recycled because they're made of layers of different materials that are too difficult and costly to separate into their individual components. 

 The kids then learned about compost and the best line of the day had to have been when the teacher mentioned that the dirt in the box was really just "worm poop".  One of the kids piped up and asked, "Then why are you sticking your hands in it??"

 Back inside, everyone was super excited about the Trash Tower Tunnel.  They couldn't wait to get in.  While they were playing, they were also learning though.  Pretty smart.

 I loved all of the quotes throughout the building.

 How true...