perot museum

With Brooke starting school, I looked forward to the day that I would be able to chaperone a field trip.  And that day finally came!  I had heard that LOTS of parents go on Kindergarten field trips, and the rumors were true, haha.  I only had Brooke and her friend Janae in my group, and most groups consisted of one or two students and a chaperone. That made things pretty easy inside the museum, haha.  Janae is the little girl that Brooke has been helping and watching out for all year.  She is mostly nonverbal, but the teacher coached me on the way that she would let me know that she needed to use the restroom, have a drink, etc.  Brooke knew all these things, and when I told Mrs. Hickerson that I used to work with nonverbal kids as a Speech Pathologist, she was relieved :). 

Brooke wanted to stick with her other two besties, Emma and Jerzey, so we stayed with their parents as well.  These girls were so sweet and cute together and always made sure to include one another. 

Heading up the escalator to see the dinosaur exhibit, also known as the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall :)

One of the museum guides approached the girls and asked if they had any questions.  The girls were all too shy to say anything at first, so a few parents asked questions.  He just started talking and was so animated and passionate about his job that the girls were literally mesmerized by him, haha.  They hung on every word he said, and then he would move to the next display and tell them all about it.  It's pretty great when you get a personal tour of the whole dinosaur exhibit!

We took the opportunity to watch the paleontologists work on fossils, which was so cool and unlike anything I had ever seen.  I basically learned that it takes HOURS to uncover one bone and prepare it for study.

Then it was on to the mineral exhibit (Lyda Hall Gems and Minerals Hall), which was amazing! Most noteworthy was the 5 foot tall geode filled with vibrant purple crystals.  Apparently, this geode was the first exhibit installed at the museum, and the gallery was then literally built around it.

I loved all the big windows and the view of Downtown Dallas...

In the Being Human Hall, a real brain was displayed, which both disgusted and fascinated the kids.  It reminded me of my anatomy days at BYU and the smell of the cadaver lab :0

Spending the day with my girl was every bit as great as I imagined, and I really enjoyed watching her interact with her friends.  I'm really grateful that Bev could come play with Colby so that I had this opportunity!

As the kids lined up to get back on the buses, I took one final picture of these three!  They really are such sweet friends and I love that they have built these friendships which can continue at Daulton!