Go To The Park And Learn Some Science

Taking kids to a park is a great way to get them outdoors, let them play and get some exercise, and peel them away from the television, video games or computers. Most parks have an open place to play ball or Frisbee, some trees to climb, perhaps some basketball or tennis courts, and a standard playground where the kids can swing, slide and hang from the monkey bars.

I recently found a park that has all of the above, but, the playground is anything but standard. This is a playground where the kids can learn about science while they play. They get interactive with experiments while playing and it teaches some cool concepts at the same time.

The park is Novell Children's Discovery Park, part of Manila Park in Pleasant Grove, and is a fantastic place for parents and children.

Discovery Park is broken out into "zones," and each zone has something unique for the kids to do, see, learn, and play with. There are speaking tubes all over the park. Find two tubes that have the same number written on them and kids can talk to each other over short distances. Wow! It's not even a cell phone.

One of my favorites was the whisper dishes. These are two large parabolic dishes (old, six foot tall satellite dishes) that are set about 100 feet apart from each other. Two people stand about two feet in front of each dish and then talk in a normal voice, or even whisper, and you'll be able to hear the other person who is a hundred feet away. My little boy was amazed at how that worked.

Head over to the dinosaur sand pit and see a replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull that the kids can climb into. All around the edges of the sand pit are tiles the explore the geologic timeline, showing something on the tile from each period.

Play a song with metal tubes that are cut at just the right length for each note. Hit the tube with a metal hammer that is attached to each tube and play a note. On a board above the tubes are several songs that show the kids which order to hit the tubes to play each song.

There is an Echo Box that the kids can yell into and hear their own voice echo like they were standing in a canyon. There is an earthquake platform that shows them what the ground might feel like during an earth quake.

When you want to take break, there is Utah Native Plant Garden with benches and tables- one of the tables is a chess board, but you'll need to bring your own chess pieces.

Learn about petroglyph's, animal tracks, rainbows, tree rings, rock types and so much more. Children run, play, swing climb and slide without ever realizing that they are learning about science and why science is cool.

We could have spent hours at this playground, except it started to storm, and we didn't want to learn about lightning firsthand.

Place: Novell Children's Discovery Park (part of Manila Park)
Location: 1550 North 100 East, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Phone: 801.785.6172 (Recreation Department)
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 36.5 miles
Ogden: 71.8 miles
Provo: 12.3 miles
Logan: 117 miles

Cabela's = Adventure

Oddly enough, the adventure days that I take my kids on will sometimes step away from the traditional museums, planetariums, parks, etc., and we will go and spend an hour or two at a store. That's right! A place where they try to sell you stuff. Now, I'm not talking about taking my kids to a Super Walmart for the day. I'm referring to truly exceptional stores- places that are not just for selling things, but are a destination by themselves. Cabela's is one of those mind-blowing stores.

Cabela's calls themselves the "World's Foremost Outfitter," and of that I have no doubt. If you want to do something in the outdoors, from your backyard to hunting or fishing in the mountains, Cabela's probably has what you need. Their selection of products is mind-boggling. But, what sets Cabela's apart, and makes it a destination for an adventure day are the displays and attractions all over the store.

When you first walk into the Cabela's in Lehi, you are immediately overwhelmed by everything. Straight in front of you is Conservation Mountain, dominating the store by its sheer two and a half story height and the stuffed animals that are all over it. From moose to polar bears, snakes to wolves, nearly every kind of North American animal you can think of is represented on the mountain. It even has a small waterfall, tumbling into a small pond at the base of the mountain that is filled with live trout. My little boy howled with laughter at the Prairie Dog that was stuck head first in its burrow, legs and tail straight up in the air. It took us nearly an hour to look at Conservation Mountain.

Just when you think there couldn't be more, there is. The aquariums, which are really the floor to ceiling walls of a hallway that you walk through, are breathtaking. Trout, catfish, and fish I'd never seen or could even hope to name are swimming all around you. I'd like to try and catch a fish here, but I'm afraid my pole would snap in half due to the size of those monsters.

Don't miss the African exhibit near the back of the store, with animals that you might not even see in a zoo. There is also the exhibit of animals that inhabit the Rocky Mountain region, complete with an animatronic camper sitting in front of his tent, telling you interesting facts about the Utah outdoors.

Upstairs is a shooting gallery, where for a few quarters, you and the kids can shoot at targets, that when hit, will make animals move, buckets tip over and other funny things happen (the targets are activated by light- no actual ammunition). There is also a deli style restaurant and a general store where you can get all kinds of candy, fudge, jerky and more. Look up and you'll see an actual bush plane suspended overhead, like it's flying over Conservation Mountain.

It may seem a bit strange to head to a store for an adventure, but Cabela's redefines what a store is.

Place: Cabela's (Lehi, Utah)
Location: 2502 West Grand Terrace Parkway, Lehi
Phone: 801.766.2500
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Holiday and winter hours may be different, call for times.
Cost: FREE (all exhibitions, shooting gallery is extra)


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 25.8 miles
Ogden: 61.2 miles
Provo: 20 miles
Logan: 106 miles

Free Event of the Day for May 20, 2008

Watch a classic movie.

Stewart at 100: Brigham Young University will mark the centennial of James Stewart's birth - May 20, 1908 - with screening of "You Can't Take It With You," the 1938 Best Picture Oscar winner. 7:00 p.m.(doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium on the BYU campus in Provo. Ages eight and older.

Event: Movie screening- "You Can't Take It With You"
Location: Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium, Brigham Young University, Provo
Phone:
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE (ages 8 and older)


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 46.6 miles
Ogden: 81.9 miles
Provo: 2.3 miles
Logan: 127 miles

Art In The Unlikeliest of Places: The Springville Museum of Art

Just over 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, in Springville, is an art museum that you might more likely see in a major metropolitan area, not a town of just over 20,000 people. The current building completed in 1937 (with several additions since) it is the oldest museum dedicated to the visual fine arts in the state of Utah. The museum building, designed in the Spanish Moroccan style is a work of art by itself.

The museum houses both its own permanent collections and hosts traveling exhibitions. Its particular focus is on Utah Art, a major Soviet collection, early Americana, and the European Steed Collection. But, if you think that a museum of this quality is for adults only, think again.

The Springville Museum of Art also has two youth galleries on the lower level and hosts many programs for children aimed at both helping children appreciate art and stirring their interest in art. Many of these programs are hands on events where children can participate in making a piece of art themselves.

Don't miss "Community and Family Night," each Monday at 6:00 p.m. This free event provides quality cultural and educational opportunities to the community of Springville and beyond. The program consists of a Guest Artist Presentation, Entertainment, and a Children's Art Project. There is also the "Sunday Concert Series" on select Sundays each month, starting at 5:00 p.m.

The museum is a wonderful place to go and see and learn about amazing, world class art, in one of the unlikeliest places.

Place: Springville Museum of Art
Location: 126 East 400 South, Springville, UT
Phone: 801.489.2727
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Sunday, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Closed on Mondays
Cost: FREE

Jurassic Museum- BYU Earth Science Museum

When it comes to museums, one favorite, particularly of kids (and kids at heart, of course) are dinosaur museums. They set the imagination loose. These large skeletons of creatures that once actually existed, loom large and foreboding in the minds of children. They love the fantastical idea that these bones could come alive. The sheer size of the monsters is enough to both frighten and excite. Just think about the recent movie "Night at the Museum." A favorite character for kids was the T-Rex.

Utah is one of those great locations when it comes to dinosaur museums. We have an armload in the state, so no matter where you live, there is probably one fairly close to you.

The BYU Earth Science Museum is one of those really cool museums. I remember as a child going to BYU to see the huge skeletal remains of dinosaurs. The Earth Science Museum is one of those treasures in our own backyard. It is one of the top five collections of fossils from the Jurassic Period in the entire world.

At the museum you can see a T-Rex skull, the fossilized imprint of dinosaur skin, or even touch fossils and dinosaur bones at the Touch Table. There is a full Allosaurus skeleton standing near a mural of what Utah might have looked like during the Jurassic Period. Check out the giant sloth that would have weighed 5 tons when it was alive- that more than two of your families cars put together! You can even see paleontologists working in the lab, removing fossils from rocks.

Head out to the museum to see an amazing collection- just wait to watch "Jurassic Park" until after your visit. You don't want the little ones too scared.

Place: BYU Earth Science Museum
Location: 1683 North Canyon Road, Provo, UT (just west of LaVell Edwards Stadium)
Phone: 801.422.3680
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 43.9 miles
Provo (downtown): 2.1 miles
Ogden: 79.3 miles
Logan: 124 miles

Bridal Veil Falls- Walk, Hike and Picnic

The first time I ever went to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, I don't remember seeing the waterfall. How could I miss it? It's right there, bigger than life, in your face and hard to miss. I was more than fascinated with the aerial tram that climbed its way from the side of the Provo River to a location high above the falls on the top of sheer cliffs. The tram, often cited by locals as the steepest aerial tramway in the world, was amazing to watch- and I wouldn't go anywhere near it as I'm afraid of heights.

The tram was destroyed in an avalanche in 1996 and for a while after that, the area became kind of junky, vandalized and only a place for a short stop to see the falls on the way through the canyon.

Recently, I was back at Bridal Veil Falls again. The tram has not been rebuilt, but the entire area around it has. There is a park with picnic and barbecuing areas with plenty of parking (in a couple of parking lots). Lots of trees surround the grassy picnic areas, but it is open enough to toss around a Frisbee or a football. The park is set right next to the Provo River and it is just a short walk up the paved Provo River Parkway Trail to Bridal Veil Falls.

The Falls are impressive. The water comes from a year round spring the flows over the edge of the cliff and falls over 600 feet through a double cascade. The water expands from a narrow point at the top of the falls to a wide, lacy veil. Thus, Bridal Veil Falls gets its name.

At the bottom of the Falls is a small shallow pool that people love to play in. Just a bit further up the paved Parkway Trail is a dirt trail that takes you right up to the base of the lower cascade. It is a steep, but fairly short hike that most people can make in a matter of 10-15 minutes. You get a great view of the canyon and river below.

There is a separate trail that goes up to the top of the falls, but it is a steep and difficult climb and should not be attempted unless you are a serious hiker or climber.

The Provo River Parkway Trail that runs through the park and past the base of the falls is a 14 mile long paved trail that runs from Utah Lake to Vivian Park in Provo Canyon. This is a great place for walking, jogging and bicycling.

Take an afternoon and enjoy Bridal Veil Falls.

Place: Bridal Veil Falls
Location: About 2 1/2 miles up Provo Canyon on Highway 189 on south side of the road.
Phone: None
Hours: Provo River Parkway Trail is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 45.8 miles
Ogden: 81.2 miles
Provo: 10.8 miles
Logan: 126 miles

Free Event of the Day- May 8, 2008

The Mind Marathon at the Orem City Library will take on Edgar Allen Poe, master of the macabre. Best remembered for his tales such as "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Telltale Heart," Poe is also the nearly universally acknowledged inventor of the detective story, beginning with "Murder in the Rue Morgue."

His was a relatively short and tragic life, marred by tragedy and suffering, but his works stand as classics of American Gothic literature.

BYU's Dennis Perry will give an introduction to Edgar Allen Poe in the Storytelling Wing at 7:00 p.m.

Place: Orem Public Library
Location: 56 North State Street, Orem, UT
Phone: 801.229.7050
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 40.0 miles
Ogden: 75.4 miles
Provo: 4.9 miles
Logan: 120 miles

Timpanogos Cave - Don't Eat the Ants

The very first time I hiked to Timpanogos Cave, I was 8 years old and went with my Cub Scout Troop. If I recall correctly, I had never climbed a hill quite that steep and I was afraid of heights. It seemed as if the trail would never end and that the mile and a half climb must have taken hours to get to the cave entrance. It probably took less than an hour, and my scoutmaster kept me going and occupied by pointing out plants and animals along the way.

The scoutmaster was, I definitely recall, slightly odd, and had a fascination with everything along the trail. Showing us how to make the snapdragon flowers open and close their mouths was neat. Having us pick up and eat the large black ants wasn't (they did NOT taste like grapes like he claimed). But, it did make the hike interesting.

The hike up the trail is actually quite stunning, through the brush and trees on the lower part of the trail, then you come to the portion of the trail that lets you get a panoramic view of American Fork Canyon. Along the way you'll see all kinds of plants and small animals. Take a pair of binoculars to get really good views of the other side of the canyon and down into Utah Valley. You may even get a glimpse of a Mountain Goat or Bighorn Sheep.

The hike is moderate to difficult, but the trail is fairly wide and is paved all the way up to the cave.

At the top of the trail is what you really hiked all this way to see- Timpanogos Cave. The 45-60 minute cave tour is led by a ranger who will tell you the history of the cave and point out all of the different features of the cave.

Timpanogos cave is actually three different caves; Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos cave. The three caves are connected by man made tunnels. Hansen Cave was discovered first and many of the formations were damaged or destroyed before the caves became national monuments. Fortunately, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave were found later on and were protected from the damaged experienced in Hansen Cave.

Inside the cave, which maintains a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit, you will see helictites (hollow straws of rock), cave bacon, cave columns, cave popcorn and many stalactites (they hang from the ceiling) and stalagmites (grow upwards from the floor). The largest, most impressive stalactite in the cave is known as the Great Heart of Timpanogos.

My favorite portion of the tour is when the tour enters a chamber where the ranger turns out the lights. Absolutely no light enters this part of the cave and it is so dark nothing can be seen, not even your hand right in front of your face.

At the base of the trail is the visitor's center where you can watch a film about the cave and see exhibits about caves. This is great place to either start or end your hike to the cave. There is also a snack bar and gift shop located at the visitor's center.

Timpanogos Cave will open for visitors this weekend, Saturday, May 10, 2008. This is a great activity for couples or families. Bring some water, but just remember- don't eat the ants!

Place: Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Location: State Highway 92, American Fork Canyon, UT (follow the signs)
Phone: 801.756.5238
Hours: May through Labor Day 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (first and last hike times are 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.)
Cost: American Fork Canyon Entrance Fee: $3.00/car
Timpanogos Cave Entrance Fee: $7.00 for adults (16 or older), Children (6-15) $5.00, Children (3-5) $3.00, Infants (0-2) FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 34.9 miles
Ogden: 70.3 miles
Provo: 18.7 miles
Logan: 115 miles