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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Mastadons and Saber Tooth Cats and Giant Slothes…Oh My!

My last visit to my family in MO coincided with Little Bird’s first preschool field trip.  They went to a nearby Mastodon State Park.
 
 
I went along for several reasons.  First, Little Bird needed her personal paparazzi along to document the day!  ;-D  And second, waaaay back when I was in junior high school I was part of a group raising money to purchase the land that would become the park.  I wanted to see what I had worked for.  (No, in all those passing years I had never visited the park.  There’s no good reason either.)
 
 
Little Bird waiting for the program to start.
 
 
After everyone got there and was ready, the group went to the conference room.  A park docent told them about the Ice Age and what it was like in the area at that time.  Then they watched a film.
 
When it was time to go, Little Bird was picked to be a “special helper”.  Her job was to hold a tanned hide so the other children could feel it as they exited the room.
 
 
She did a very good job.
 
 
From the conference room they went back into the museum, starting at the upper level.
 
 
The displays wrap around and down to the door exiting into the park.
 
 
Little Bird enjoyed looking at the displays.
 
 
One display showed the difference between modern elephants (African and Asian)…
 
 
… and the mammoth and mastodon of the Ice Age.
 
 
They also were able to see a full size skeleton. 
 
 
The docent's lecture was a bit over their heads though…
 
 
Once the museum tour was finished, everyone headed outside to hike down to the ‘bone yard’ area.  It was a long walk thru scrub oak woods and down a steep flight of stairs…
 
 
…where we ended up at a pavilion with 3 signs! 
 
 
 
 
 
Really?  That was it?
 
They then hiked through the woods back up to the museum where they were released to go home with their parents.  We were all starving, so after picking up Little Hoss from his class we headed out for a nice lunch out.
 
A good ending for an exciting day!
 

1 comment:

  1. That was a good day had by all I would think. I gave money for our Zoo when it first opend. I have been there lots of times when the kids were samll and Grandchildren. The main attention wa sour Elephants. Then Bob Parker on the Price is right. Felt that it was cruel for our Elephants to be there. They needed the all time warm temp . So he paid for the shipment of the elephants to be moved. Our oldest Elephant was 90 years old for goodness sakes..

    Then we had the adventures as well in our zoo. Now our Elephants that the children enjoyed so much. Are gone.

    Have been shipped away to America and then we purchased the k Bears.They even shipped tons of the tree branches they ea here. And still do. t.

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