Hart Park-Northeast Bakersfield

From times past:
a favorite autumn activity-leaf jumping
very favorite, rock skipping on the Kern

Can you see the rock?

From this week:

Geese crossing There are a variety of water fowl. OK we use it as a great excuse not to eat our bread crusts: "I am saving them for the ducks!" gets the kids (ok and me) out of the driest bites.

Plenty of room to roam.

My little guy thinks these ants are too huge!

Hart park is one of our favorite picnic destinations. It is the largest park that I know of in Bakersfield and has everything my kids love: animals, water, many playstructures, trees, plenty of room to run, and did I mention water? Whether at the lake or exploring the marsh, or skipping rocks on the river, somehow my kids love the opportunity to get wet. No, I don't let them swim in the water, there have been too many reports of drowning in the Kern river to risk that, but there is this cool little backwater area formed by sandbars that is perfect for kids

and parents. We love it. Unless it is a major holiday, it is usually pretty empty.

Buena Vista Museum in Bakersfield

The Buena Vista Museum of Natural History is just a little museum in downtown Bakersfield, but it is the perfect size for taking small children to. Actually, it is the perfect size for taking myself to, too. It has a wide variety of science exhibits, but not so big as to overwhelm or to totally exhaust you. It is unfortunate that they have lost their major exhibit of the fossils from Shark Tooth hill when the owners asked for them back so they could sell them. Hopefully they will be able to raise enough money to bid on them when they come up for auction in Dec. Downstairs is my favorite part, a basement full of hands-on activities for the kids. I think that is the best way for kids to learn about science.

One room is filled with examples from the different kingdoms in the scientific classification.

The explore-it zone has several microscopes and slides.

Very cool for homeschoolers is the "Human Body and How It Works" section with the diagrams and hands on life size models.

Bakersfield has a very active rock club and rock hounds and they have donated a variety of beautiful and interesting samples for the earth science section.

Ever want to see a life-size model of a hut used by Native Americans in Kern County? It is right here.

I use letter of the week with my younger children, so this being "D" week, we just had to come to the museum to see the dinasour exhibits and murals.

The museum has a well selected African mammmal section, including a lifesize elephant head.

We will have to visit again when we come to the letter "L".

Not pictured is the section with North American Mammals, and a section on sharks.