Explore UT

Sorry I've been so slow to update. We've had a lot going on.

A week ago, Saturday was Explore UT. It's a huge open house for the public, especially students (of all ages) to see what sort of things UT has to offer. We started on the South Mall, picking up passports, and stopping to make knights' shields and princess crowns. We saw a bit of Shakespeare (Pyramus & Thisbe!) in the grass of a courtyard, and got to see our names written in a dozen languages from all over the world. We stopped for lunch at the science building, where they were making ice cream instantly, using giant bottles of liquid nitrogen. Inside, we got to look into microscopes and stereoscopes, check out real live crayfish and insects, and learn about germs. Nearby, there was a sand pit for digging up fossils you could keep and take with you. In the anthropology building, we got to see a real human skeleton, and put together a plastic one. Elena listened in awe to explanations of how to tell how old someone is by looking at bones and teeth, wanted to know what every one of the stringy things on the slightly fleshed out skeleton was. She wanted to see all the red and blue lines, follow the green nerve ones, and asked about all of the muscles and tried to read the labels. She stayed and listened another 10-15 minutes beyond when Joseph and Jonathan got bored and wandered off. While we were walking around, outside, we saw miniature trebuchets, about 4 or 5 feet high, launching water ballons at crowds of 8 year olds who were trying to catch them. Over by the engineering building, there were blocks--both wooden, and toddler-sized lego-style--for building towers. Every one had a great time seeing how hight they could go before the wind knocked it down. On the way back to the car, we got to march with the Longhorn Band, which was passing by and playing songs on the way to the tower. We got to sing the "Daddy's Hookin' Horns Spelling Song" and listen to Deep in the Heart of Texas on the steps at the bottom of the main building's plaza. It was a long day, but very exciting, and educationally entertaining.