A family came into cave plaza, with a kid leading the way. The family turned toward Edge of Appalachia and called to the kid to come back. He sighed and trudged back toward them saying, “Man, why do you guys always have to LOOK at stuff?”
While running the Madagascar roaches group of two women came up to see them. The younger one immediately wanted to hold them while the older one stood back several yards to watch. After about five minutes the older lady was convinced to hold one, and as soon as it was in her hand there was a total transformation in her. She couldn’t stop marveling over them, saying she never expected them to be so beautiful. She only reluctantly moved on after allowing each of the roaches to investigate the large obsidian on her ring and take pictures of each one.
A little girl and her mother were standing beside Birdly watching people on the ride. I asked the little girl if she wanted to try it and the mom said she (her daughter) was nervous about the ride and wasn’t so sure. I told the girl it was okay to be nervous and asked if she wanted to give it a try, I can always stop it if she didn’t like it. She said she “just wanted to get on it and see what it feels like first”. She climbed up and she barely reached the last part of the wing. I stayed there awhile helping position her hands and explaining what each direction would do. After learning that, I asked if she wanted me to put on the headset to look at it. She said “yes, she just wanted to see what it looked like first”. Absolutely! After a moment I asked her if she wanted me to press play and that I would stop it at any time she said. So, she nervously said yes. This little girl was a pro! She only crashed once at the very beginning but in no time she was flying along viewing dinosaurs on the ground and soaring through the trees. After the ride ended, she had such a huge smile on her face and her eyes said it all – pure excitement and wonder that she had just conquered her fear and had such a fun time on Jurassic Flight. Children overcoming their fears is always so inspiring to watch. 🙂
First morning Holiday Junction was open and I was in Lego. Tons of kids super excited about it, but there was one family visiting from Florida whose toddler loves, and I mean LOVES trains. Can’t even talk yet but spent no less than ten minutes running in circles after the trains and pumping his fist in the “choo choo!” motion. I wasn’t sure if it was actually the horn motion or if it was just an excited toddler run but when I asked the parents they were like “oh yeah, it totally is. Hey bud, what sound does the train make?” Halting his latest pass by, he wiggled excitedly, pumped his fist, and energetically whispered “Choo! Choo!!!”
Working in the woods this morning when a young man around 5 dressed head to toe in camo-print clothes ran up to me and said “Look at me I’m invisible!’
A little girl maybe 8 years old. Refused a picture with her dad in the pharmacy in Public Landing because it is……and I’m quoting a “traphouse” and she sprinted away.
During the summer… I was cleaning Kids at Work and a little girl came up asking what I was doing. I explained and she said, OK! And helped out as we chatted while mom watched from the bench. After a little while, I told her I needed to go help a friend in the woods and said my goodbyes. As I was walking away, mom caught me and thanked me so much because her daughter had just started talking to other people and this was the most she had her talk before.
I walked through Kroger and stopped to chat with kids there. They were cleaning up. One was putting thing randomly on shelves. One was picking up things in the wrong place and putting them where they belong. She nodded at the other kid and said “He’s a new employee, it’s hard to get good help these days”
I was running the It’s a Bat, Man program and was telling a kid about how it was two truths and a lie. He turned to me when we got up to the station and said “I’ll go first. 1. My dad didn’t leave me” and walked away. He ended up coming back and playing but it still stuck with me.
A group of schoolkids came thru Dinos on Ice. As I was explaining the rules (No eating or drinking) one of the boys interrupted to say, “Is it ok if I drink my spit?”
The slump of the chaperone’s shoulders let me know this wasn’t the first time this had come up.
CMC Memories 
In TCM I had a mom and son that I had the pleasure of talking to about how to ask great questions as a scientist.
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A family came into cave plaza, with a kid leading the way. The family turned toward Edge of Appalachia and called to the kid to come back. He sighed and trudged back toward them saying, “Man, why do you guys always have to LOOK at stuff?”
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While running the Madagascar roaches group of two women came up to see them. The younger one immediately wanted to hold them while the older one stood back several yards to watch. After about five minutes the older lady was convinced to hold one, and as soon as it was in her hand there was a total transformation in her. She couldn’t stop marveling over them, saying she never expected them to be so beautiful. She only reluctantly moved on after allowing each of the roaches to investigate the large obsidian on her ring and take pictures of each one.
LikeLike
A little girl and her mother were standing beside Birdly watching people on the ride. I asked the little girl if she wanted to try it and the mom said she (her daughter) was nervous about the ride and wasn’t so sure. I told the girl it was okay to be nervous and asked if she wanted to give it a try, I can always stop it if she didn’t like it. She said she “just wanted to get on it and see what it feels like first”. She climbed up and she barely reached the last part of the wing. I stayed there awhile helping position her hands and explaining what each direction would do. After learning that, I asked if she wanted me to put on the headset to look at it. She said “yes, she just wanted to see what it looked like first”. Absolutely! After a moment I asked her if she wanted me to press play and that I would stop it at any time she said. So, she nervously said yes. This little girl was a pro! She only crashed once at the very beginning but in no time she was flying along viewing dinosaurs on the ground and soaring through the trees. After the ride ended, she had such a huge smile on her face and her eyes said it all – pure excitement and wonder that she had just conquered her fear and had such a fun time on Jurassic Flight. Children overcoming their fears is always so inspiring to watch. 🙂
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First morning Holiday Junction was open and I was in Lego. Tons of kids super excited about it, but there was one family visiting from Florida whose toddler loves, and I mean LOVES trains. Can’t even talk yet but spent no less than ten minutes running in circles after the trains and pumping his fist in the “choo choo!” motion. I wasn’t sure if it was actually the horn motion or if it was just an excited toddler run but when I asked the parents they were like “oh yeah, it totally is. Hey bud, what sound does the train make?” Halting his latest pass by, he wiggled excitedly, pumped his fist, and energetically whispered “Choo! Choo!!!”
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Working in the woods this morning when a young man around 5 dressed head to toe in camo-print clothes ran up to me and said “Look at me I’m invisible!’
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A little girl maybe 8 years old. Refused a picture with her dad in the pharmacy in Public Landing because it is……and I’m quoting a “traphouse” and she sprinted away.
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“I’m calling him Mr. Big Toes.”
-7 year old talking about the cryolophosaurus
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Amid the chaos of the weekend, while I was walking by Energy Zone, I overheard, “Best. Saturday. EVER.”
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During the summer… I was cleaning Kids at Work and a little girl came up asking what I was doing. I explained and she said, OK! And helped out as we chatted while mom watched from the bench. After a little while, I told her I needed to go help a friend in the woods and said my goodbyes. As I was walking away, mom caught me and thanked me so much because her daughter had just started talking to other people and this was the most she had her talk before.
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I had a school kid look over balcony from Si to GIN and say to their chaperone “It looks magic. Is it fairy land?
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I walked through Kroger and stopped to chat with kids there. They were cleaning up. One was putting thing randomly on shelves. One was picking up things in the wrong place and putting them where they belong. She nodded at the other kid and said “He’s a new employee, it’s hard to get good help these days”
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10:10am, little girl walks in the rotunda with her grown up, looks around for 3 seconds, and yells “this is going to be the best day EVER!!!”
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I was running the It’s a Bat, Man program and was telling a kid about how it was two truths and a lie. He turned to me when we got up to the station and said “I’ll go first. 1. My dad didn’t leave me” and walked away. He ended up coming back and playing but it still stuck with me.
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A group of schoolkids came thru Dinos on Ice. As I was explaining the rules (No eating or drinking) one of the boys interrupted to say, “Is it ok if I drink my spit?”
The slump of the chaperone’s shoulders let me know this wasn’t the first time this had come up.
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