Field Trip Friday: Water Treatment Tour

Here's another blast from the past for Field Trip Friday!   We took a tour of our local Water Treatment Plant this week. I have to say, our tour guide was awesome and we got to see some pretty amazing things. My descriptions will probably be brief because I can't remember as much as I would like.

This is a filtration system model they use.


These are filtering tubes that help filter the water. She passed around some individual ones for us to feel and then we saw one in the process of being cleaned and repaired.


All our kids were so attentive throughout this tour...I was so proud!


Those glowing ones---that means there is E.coli present. This was a sample taken from the Little River.

I think, this was the strainer that helps get any big stuff out of the water before it heads to those little tubes.


Various pictures of pumps, chemical containers, water reserves, etc.





Sometimes I feel like I need a sign like this at my house!

We have about 2 1/2 weeks of school left so I'm looking for things to energize our learning time. Our guide gave us these great books about The Story of Drinking Water. I have to admit usually those just get thrown aside or only looked at in the car. This time I went through the booklet with the kids and then pulled out some posters on this subject, I got from the U.S. Geological Dept. about 10 years ago. We all learned alot and it helped to re-emphasize everything we had just seen.

For more pictures,  It's A Boy's Life and The Forest Room    Check out more field trips by hopping on over to Field Trip Friday at It's A Boy's Life

Down at the Dump...I mean, Landfill

We took a fieldtrip to the landfill this last week. The first thing we learned was that this was not a dump, but a landfill. Dumps are illegal in Tennessee. A landfill is a more eco-friendly way of disposing of trash. They dig holes in the ground that are then lined with plastic to prevent leakage into the soil. The mounds of garbage are piled about 15 feet deep, then covered with a layer of earth before they repeat the process. Then, when a certain area is full they cap it off by covering it with a layer of earth. They install pipes to release the methane build up. This landfill is preparing to use the methane as a renewable energy. The landfill is the highest point in our county other than the mountains. Also, the certain cell that is being filled has lasted longer than they thought because people are reducing, reusing and recycling.

Recycling bins, the incinerator used for wood debris, and plastic being laid down for a new cell at the landfill to prevent leechate (sp?) from leaking into the soil.





Crazy fun in the car!





Turkey Vultures and a landfill cell being filled in.




A hands-on demonstration of the different pollutants and their effect on wildlife. Poor Fred the sponge.







All kinds of relays and hands-on activities (litter pick up, compost discovery, and recycle relay)







Again, we had a great tour guide who made the day very fun and educational, too!

Cinco De Mayo

We went over to a friend's house for some Cinco de Mayo fun...first a snack with homemade tortillas. I have to get a tutorial soon from one of my friends, who knows how to do these. Mine turn out like little dough lumps.
Michael couldn't wait for the cooking process, he just dug in.







Then some crafts...finding Mexico on the map and coloring the flag. Then, my favorite-giant tissue paper flowers.







Next, yarn pictures and some reading of course...




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