The average age in and around offices on campus dropped by a few years Thursday (April 27) thanks to Take Our Children to Work Day, a sort of mini-Picnic Day for mini-Aggies.
鈥淭he day not only exposes kids to what a parent or mentor does during their workday, but shows children the value of their education and provides an opportunity to share how they envision their future and begin steps toward their goals in a hands-on and interactive environment,鈥 the organizers said on .
Parents and their kids made art and held bugs at campus museums, rode buses, met livestock, watched a chemistry show, made slime with Fleet Services, learned about particle physics at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, saw police and fire equipment and more. More than 1,300 people registered to participate this year, said Marla Dolcini, a WorkLife program coordinator.
Brittany Kohler, a research assistant at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, said many kids have a different view of bugs after holding and petting the Madagascar hissing cockroaches 鈥 including one young visitor who asked if it was OK to give the bug a kiss (not recommended!).
鈥淚 find that young kids are still very open and excited to see insects and arthropods like discovering a whole new world to them,鈥 Kohler said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that bugs rule the world. They are a very important part of our ecosystem, and understanding them and protecting them protects the diverse world we live in.鈥
![Anna Maggi shows a bug to a young boy.](/sites/default/files/media/images/anna-maggi-bohart-toc-2000.jpg)
Anna Maggi, a third-year history major and an intern at the Bohart museum, said young visitors ran the gamut from excited to hesitant about seeing the collection of bugs.
鈥淲hen kids visit the Bohart, I hope they learn to treat their environment and insects kindly,鈥 Maggi said. 鈥淗opefully, they'll think twice now before squashing any bug they see in their house.鈥
![Double-decker Unitrans bus](/sites/default/files/media/images/vintage-unitrans-toc-1280.jpg)
Nicole Heitkam 鈥15, Unitrans training manager, said she hopes children riding on the vintage double-decker bus last week learned that transit can be fun and can bring a community together.
鈥淚 always enjoy doing the take your kids to work day,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he kids are always super excited to ride the double-decker bus. I used to drive them in service when I was a student at 澳门六合彩开奖结果走势图, and the highlight was always seeing kids waving as you passed by, or being pumped to get on.鈥
She saw that among kids eager to ride on the top deck of the bus, even if one of them did fall asleep during the short loop of a trip.
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Cody Kitaura is a News and Media Relations Specialist in the Office of Strategic Communications, and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.