Loved my trip to the Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, Murfreesboro TN this evening.  What fun!  Nice to know that there is a quality, affordable place to take kids that will stimulate their minds and that is appropriate for young kids as well as older ones.  Admission is $6 and kids under 2 are free.  That's basically less than the cost of taking your kid to the movies.


And let me tell you...adults enjoy it just as much as the kids!  I got to scoop tadpoles with a net, wade in the creek, listen to the birds, see some amazing animals and do some fun experiments/projects geared toward making kids aware of the world around them.  This experience reminds me of my elementary days in  4th, 5th and 6th grade.  I was fortunate to go to a school in Oregon that had a fantastic "outdoor education" program.  In each grade, the entire school year was devoted to an area of study, 4th grade was the Ocean, 5th grade was the forest, and 6th grade was the high dessert. After extensive study in each of those areas, we got to take a 3 day overnight trip to the places that we studied for hands on exploration.  Those trips are some of my favorite memories from school and to this day I remember much of what I learned.  Just goes to show how very important it is to have hands on, active learning for kids in every way possible.