Checking out dinofish
Going to new places is not unusual for me, so when I went to the Northwest Georgia Science Museum – also known as the Tellus Museum, I thought I knew what to expect, but when I got there I realized that this was no ordinary science museum. Even the outside of the building gives you an idea of just how interesting this museum is.
The idea for our class trip began when my science teacher suggested a field trip. We had just finished our unit on fossils and plate tectonics.
When it was trip day, we arrived by the bus load in Cartersville which is an hour and twenty minute bus ride from Atlanta. The ride is about 20 minutes longer from Chattanooga. Nevertheless, I was excited and anxious to learn hands-on about our previous unit.
Divided into groups consisting of about thirty-four students per teacher, we lined up and each of us followed our teacher and group guide to our individual “lesson areas” of the museum. I was in the group headed off by our Spanish teacher, Ms.Ligato.
We followed our guide to the first station, The Weinman Mineral Gallery. At this station, we reviewed what Ms. Flagler, our science teacher, had previously taught us while standing on a flattened model of Earth. Standing on the oceanic crust, our guide informed us about what we would be seeing next.
We moved on to see an interactive, live earthquake monitor-otherwise known as a seismograph and a make- your- own earthquake sensor. Just by tapping, everyone in our group got to create a 2.5 earthquake on a sensor pad.
After that, we came to an abrupt halt at yet another model of Earth -- except this one was 3-D project screen sphere. Projected on the sphere, was a moving 10 second explanation of how the plate tectonics of Earth came together to form Pangaea and then the first two continents of Laurasia and Gondwanaland and then the continents we know today. Following that, we were allowed to roam free around the rest of the area.
The first place I made my way over to was the Wall of Elements. If you remember the Periodic Table of Elements from your eighth grade Chemistry class, then you will immediately recognize this wall. It is a wall with several small, rectangular boxes fit into it. In each box, there is a small item resembling where you could find each element in everyday life.
After that, I proceeded to the gallery of Gems and Minerals exhibit in the corner. I was mesmerized by the fascinating wonders of Earth. When I finally pulled myself away after realizing how much time was left, I walked over to the uses of Minerals in Everyday Life display. Up until then I had no idea that there were minerals in ketchup and peanut butter. No too long after my discoveries, our group was summoned to the back of the gallery to view phosphorescent rocks. These are rocks that glow different colors than their natural color under U.V. light or black light and then continue to keep their fluorescence after the black light is shut off.
When we finished our “ohhs and ahhs,” we left the gallery for our second exhibit. We all sat down at the tables and reviewed the stress forces of plate tectonics. We played with blocks and puzzle pieces. But the most fascinating thing to see was when we watched a video about the future of our planet. Apparently, in 50 million years California will shrivel up into Alaska and Australia will shrink too.
We then gathered into what I thought was the most fascinating exhibition, the Gem Mining Room. Although I managed to get more sand and water on myself than in my mining pan, I still enjoyed panning in the fake river for semi-precious gems to put in a necklace.
To sum up our morning half of the trip, we finished up in the never-ending, exciting gift shop. When were escorted outside of the gift shop 20 minutes later to go view a pendulum. It represented how the Earth was always spinning. We couldn’t stop watching the pendulum to see if it would knock the pegs down. We pulled ourselves away when we heard we would be getting lunch.
Of course when we ate at the pavilion we immediately regretted it because of the wind. Eventually we ended up back inside -- this time though, I was in my Science teacher and Social Studies teachers’ group. As Ms.Tronnes and Ms.Flagler led us over to the Fossils exhibit, we couldn’t help but notice that the pendulum had knocked over four pins since we left the area.
We all enjoyed ourselves in the Fossils exhibit especially when we saw very large turtle replica as well as other past ocean dwellers. As time dwindled down, we all got our fill of fossils and bones and proceeded on.
Our group’s last exhibit was my ultimate favorite because of its connection to history and everyday life. I was happy that our group got the best for last- the Science in Motion exhibit! I got to see automobiles progress from 1803 to 1999 all up close as replicas.
Eventually, the fun had to end and it was time to pile back up on bus three with my language arts teacher, Ms.Freeman. So, all and all it was a great and educational day.
For more information about the Tellus Science Museum visit http://www.weinmanmuseum.org/
(Caitlin Nebel is a student in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She most recently completed a video project that includes many photos from the Tennessee Aquarium. The video is viewable here: http://www.vimeo.com/6709796)