Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Yesterday, I took my children to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We visited 4 exhibitions:

1) Gems & Minerals - We all love rhodochrosite, the beautiful rose-colored state mineral of Colorado.

2) Space Odyssey - One child's favorite part was making her own star, and the other child was fascinated with the huge globe showing Earth's continents drift over millions of years. Mom liked it when the little ones dressed up in space jumpsuits and pretended them were a spaceship crew.

3) Prehistoric Journey - Extinct animal skeletons...what's not to "oooh" over?

4) Expedition Health - BEST part was a lab experience (complete with lab coat, goggles, and gloves) where we looked at our own epithelial cells (taken from inside the mouth) under a microscope and saw daphnia (tiny crustaceans, of which ours happened to be pregnant) be affected by caffeine and alcohol. The smaller kids enjoyed a tot area with a little slide and toys.

What a great museum!

Firefighters

The end of June was hot, dry, and windy in Colorado. We had some very bad fires here. In case anyone related to one of the many firefighters (civilian and military) from across the country who helped fight these fires should happen across this blog, I want to say "thank you". Your efforts in protecting lives and property are greatly appreciated. The next time someone bemoans the lack of heroism and leadership in today's materialistic, soft US culture, I'll remember that there are still brave, hard-working firefighters like you.