Field Trip - Lawrence Hall of Science

I set my alarm the night before the BIG day but woke up before it went off. We had enjoyed the field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science last year and we were all eagerly anticipating another equally enjoyable trip. is year the featured exhibit was DINOSAURS!!!  What kid, or adult, can resist that?

Of course what trip can start without Starbucks? So we made a quick stop there for coffee and oatmeal, slid through the Jack in the Box drive-thru next door for the boys and we were on our way.... almost. We had not anticipated the traffic. We crawled along for a few miles until we were past the congestion and then sailed on to Berkeley.

Although it had only been a year, neither of us had remember the VERY steep uphill streets to reach our destination. I took pictures but they do not do justice to the vertical trajectory we traversed.

We arrived in plenty of time, and with the knowledge of the parking procedures still  in our memory banks from last year, we saved ourselves from doubling back by remembering the parking spot number so that we could pay for the ticket when we got to the ticket booth and then go onward. 

The fountain where we dropped of our stuff so the kids could go play while we waited.

 Now off to the Orca and the giant DNA strand for the children to play while we gather and wait until we are able to enter

Soon our fearless leader arrives and we are off!





As we all eagerly journey inside we are greeted with things that are familiar and things that are new. The boys had looked forward to the air cannon and were not disappointed.

The thingy that you put pictures in and spin to animate the pictures, the air cannon, the air floaty ball thingy and the push the pins and make the shape thingy were still there and still favourites of all.
(Obviously I did not write the names down of all the thingy's and when I tried Googling them I spent an hour and learned nothing, at least nothing about the thingy's, but I got some good links for school. :-)  --)

What was new here in the entry was a very LARGE dinosaur. Totally mesmerizing.

From here we wandered into the next room where we found more dinosaurs and a sweet archaeological dig site. Kids and adults alike gathered round to excavate their own space. My daughter and Owen uncovered what I thought was a Raptor fossil.

Traveling toward the back we had a choice; go left, go right. We chose left. Owen and Alicia spent some time constructing marble runs as well as checking out all the different constructing stations.

Soon it was time for Owen's "Journey to the Moon" in the Planetarium. I was so looking forward to it... until it started. "Yolanda" drove me nuts! She baby talked her information as though the children were 2 - 4 yr olds, waved her pointer flashlight in circles till my eyes hurt, made erroneous statements, then corrected herself. (you never see the moon in the day do you? nooooooo. Then a little girl innocently raised her hand and said, "I saw the moon in the day yesterday") Out of the mouth of babes.
Coincidentally, on the way home later guess what was quite visible in the day sky? The moon.
That experience did not end soon enough for me. Although, I did enjoy the short vignettes of  the original moon landings and the various lift offs.

Lunch was peaceful, partaken outside with a view to die for as the children enjoyed the earthquake displays (which unfortunately were not working this year), watershed displays AND ...... one huge Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Owen and several other boys spent a lot of time there damming water in various spots in the watershed display.

Alicia and I found a comfortable rock and enjoyed the moment.

T Rex and other other Dino video

After lunch I meandered around and stumbled upon the main Dinosaur Unearthed display. Not sure if it was from lack of visible directions or my own "taking in TMI to process it efficiently, but I do not remember there being actual signs pointing the way.
No matter, this display was so way cool I did not care. A little dark for pictures, but I still  snapped away.

Oh speaking of lack of direction, at one time they gave an announcement over the intercom that their was a lizard in the blah, blah blah location I scurried to where I thought that was, no lizard. So.... when in doubt, ask questions. I asked 4 people that worked there, including one at the front desk, no one knew anything. So I gave up and went into the earth/moon room. This was very well done and could be enjoyed at anyone's leisure.

Earth / Moon You tube video

We all reconnected and explored the lower levels where the classrooms are. Here there were many interactive displays to be enjoyed. One area I got a kick of filming was the convex and concave mirrors. Owen had just covered that section so it was still fresh in his mind. These mirrors were a lot more fun than the back and bowl of a spoon I used in class!!

 Last, but not least was the gift shop. One of the better ones I have been in, this one is chock full of science things. I left with my hands full. My personal treasure was a Newtons Cradle.

In the main hall we took a moment to savor our new possessions. The children, quickly bored turned toward the yellow thingy and soon the adults were entering the melee. Some fun pictures were the result.

Having fun with the Yellow Thingy video

This was an adventurous day filled with fun and learning. Not sure who enjoyed it more, the boys or Alicia and me. Just really glad we got to go.

Picasa Album of Pictures for our Lawrence Hall of Science Field Trip

5 minute Summary of the Day's Field Trip video