Field Trip: Sternberg

  With all the busy-ness of summer upon us I almost forgot to post about one of adventures in Hays!  So, about a month later.... let me tell you about the the other Hays adventures we had :)  We started off the day at Frontier Park which is on the south side of town.  It had a great little playground, a nice waterfall area

and of course was close to a train track!  Shorty was thrilled!
  This park is right close to Fort Hays, which had visited when the bigger kids were young, but it hit the cutting block this time. 
  Next stop, the Sternberg.  When Hubby was working in this part of the world several years ago we went several times. The older kids were prepping Shorty on seeing the big dino that roars (more on that later) so much so that I finally had to tell them to stop!
  The museum had changed things up a bit since we'd been there last, and it was even better!  They had incorporated more live animals into the displays.  The kids loved the funny little mudskippers.

One of the biggies is of course the fish within a fish

And they were thrilled with Titanoboa - ewww!

The big T-Rex did not roar this time at us, which is just as well Shorty was shaking like a leaf when I carried him past.

The dig pit was there previously, but in a different area.  Where it is now is a great usage of what had been dead space!

A great place for the kids is the kids' discovery center.  They have tons of hands on scientific activities ranging from critters, puppets, microscopes and even down to a collection of poop ;)

One thing I need to mention is that if you are ever in Hays, you have got to try Al's Chickenette.  Cute little diner with excellent food and service! 

All this reminiscing about adventures makes me ready for another!  So far it's just been swimming since then.  Well, tomorrow is Friday.  We'll see where the road takes us!

The Return of a Great Adventure: Kansas Archaeology Training Program

  It has been a couple of years since our family has had the opportunity to be involved with an archaeological excavation.  Hubby made it a point this year to add the KATP (Kansas Archaeology Training Program) dig to our calendar.  The KATP was where I met Hubby and where he received his first training preparing him to be an archaeologist so it holds a special place in our hearts.  It has been years since we've been able to attend, so it was a great chance to dive back in and reconnect with old buddies and make new friends.

  Hubby and Bubby went out shortly after the dig started.  The excavation was of a prehistoric Native American site that was about 1000 years old located near Hays, Kansas.  The dig is powered by volunteers and you can be as young as 10 (with a supervising adult).  It is a great way to "dig" into archaeology and get a hands on appreciation of the past. 
  The boys found a wonderful variety of artifacts and significant features.  On some digs you might get a square that has absolutely nothing, so it is really encouraging for the younger folks if you have a site that gives them more than a chance to play in the dirt ;)

Bubby's first arrowpoint

Bubby standing by a bison jawbone he helped uncover

  One of Bubby's goals was to use this to gain his Archaeology merit badge for Boy Scouts.  To do this he not only worked at the site, but cleaned and sorted artifacts in the lab.  The lab often gets overlooked since it doesn't seem as glamorous as digging, but it's a great way to see all the cool artifacts coming in and view them sans dirt!
  The KATP is held on a yearly basis generally around the first part of June.  This is its 40th year in Kansas.  I highly recommend it for a visit or to get involved in first hand!