April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and what better way to celebrate that to share our own stories about why we appreciate being a volunteer!
Thanks to Robyn for sharing her experiences at Science Saturday.
Discovery Place, Science Saturday Placement
For Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 I was privileged to be a part of the new JLC placement: Science Saturday’s at Discovery Place and The Nature Museum. Since the placement took place twice a month on Saturdays, once at Discovery Place, once at the Nature Museum, it allowed me a behind the scenes look at both organizations. The breadth of science and activities for children of all ages astounded me – there is something for everyone! From technology to architecture to physics and environmental sciences, nothing is left out.
The children we hosted were the most impressive – they came from all different backgrounds. We worked with homeless children, bilingual and non-English speaking children, Girl Scouts, and many underprivileged children. All were read a story, engaged in an activity and given access to the museum for the whole day. We covered an array of topics from recycling, to gardening, to physical health, healthy eating, and much more! Never a dull moment, we were able to dissect a heart, make flower pots out of used plastic bottles, experience environmental impacts in the Rain Forest at Discovery Place, pet a snake, take our biometric measurements (height, weight, pulse, temperature, blood pressure) and make “seed bombs” over the course of the placement year. For many of the children, this was their first experience with science and/or a museum. Seeing their delight and amazement as new ideas and concepts were introduced to them was the most rewarding experience. To continue to educate all children in math and science will create a lasting impact not only in Charlotte’s community, but the world at large.
– Robyn Corrado
