Mount Vernon Club Treats Kids to Science Center Visit

by Bruce Malkin

On July 28, forty children and chaperoning adults from Creekside and Sacramento Neighborhood Centers went by charter bus to Baltimore to visit the Maryland Science Center in the inner Harbor area. The bus and driver were paid for by the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, which sponsors a number of activities annually for these two Centers. When the kids began their exploration of this children's museum, there was an outburst of excitement. Since all the exhibits at the Science Center are interactive, they wanted to see everything and participate in all the activities.

The first exhibit visited was "Your Body: The Inside Story". Two highlights from this exhibit were the bed of nails and the walk-in beating heart chamber. The bed of nails was popular because they all got to experience what it felt like if one slept on a real bed of nails. The heart chamber was fascinating as they were in awe of the strong, rhythmic pulsations and could spend time playing on the floor of the chamber. At the "Dinosaur Mysteries" exhibit, the children got to work in the field lab and the dig pits just like a paleontologist. Without a doubt, the special highlight of the day for all was the "Dark Matters" presentation at the Planetarium. In their words, "it was so cool!" The exhibit was very realistic and they got to experience outer space without having to leave Earth. The experience was truly "awesome" according to the children.

For more information on how you can participate in the volunteer community services sponsored by the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, please go to www.mtvernonvakiwanis.org.

The below photos show the children enjoying some of the Museum's exhibits, including the bed of nails.