IJAMS NATURE CENTER
Knoxville – 2915 Island Home Avenue (head south all the way into downtown &
riverfront. Cross over the Tennessee River and take the Sevier Ave. / Hillwood Dr.
exit) 37920. Phone: (865) 577-4717. www.ijams.org. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday
9:00am-5:00pm. Sunday 1:00-5:00pm (March-November only). Grounds open
8:00am until sunset. Admission: FREE.

The regional environmental education center is surrounded by more than 150
acres of beautiful forests, meadows, ponds and gardens connected by 5 miles
of trails. Special events include evening walks in the park, canoe trips, junior
naturalist workshops, Bug Night, Invasive Species Movie Marathon and Music
in the Park. We noticed unique exhibits like the Bird’s Nests (even spider nests!),
a live beehive and the Conservation Cottage (great ways to apply new recycle habits
to your home as you walk thru the pretend house). Of the Hiking Trails, we liked the Tennessee River boardwalk best. The winding boardwalk runs along the River Trail on the banks of the Tennessee River. You’ll find many little critters, even Great Blue Herons, and even a small cave.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

BRUKNER NATURE CENTER
Troy – 5995 Horseshoe Bend Rd. (Exit # 73 off of I-75, west on SR 55 3 miles, then
right on Horseshoe) 45373. Phone: (937) 698-6493. www.bruknernaturecenter.org.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm, Sunday 12:30-5:00pm. Admission:
Small admission charged on Sundays.

This 164 acre nature preserve’s attractions include 6 miles of hiking trails,
a wildlife rehabilitation center and the interpretive center. The 1804 Iddings
log house was built by the first settlers in Miami County. The Center’s animal
rehabilitation has over 65 permanent residents on display. The top floor
contains a glass-enclosed vista room for watching and listening to birds as
they feed. A ground-level viewing station for mammals also is available. They
are best known for their Night Hikes, Star Gazes, Wild Journeys and Seasonal
events.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

TRAVEL TUESDAY

Topic: Michigan Spring Break Getaways

Over 500 places reviewed and organized by travel family moms

Life can be stressful, and weekend getaways are the perfect opportunity to reconnect, share experiences and ideas, and create new memories.

The family road trip is still cheapest way to travel. Remember, kids don’t care how far you travel, as long as they have fun when you get there.

…Enter, Spring Break “Day”cations

A Daycation is a day trip… a little time with the family, discovering the area around your home… and areas where you can visit on about a tank of gas!

Think all the great destinations are further away? Check out your favorite chapter of KIDS LOVE MICHIGAN.

Here’s some spring break specials to consider:

Looking for March activities? We’ve got plenty to keep you busy this month! http://bit.ly/ctoUPX #MIevents

Planning a trip to metro #Detroit? Check the Deals & Discounts our partners are currently offering! http://ow.ly/1bnkh

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Hey, Homeschool Friends: Did you Know new KIDS LOVE TRAVEL GUIDES NOW HAVE:  

FREEBIES? Know how you look for FREE car games to play while day-tripping? Our new books suggest online places to find and print them. 

EDUCATORS? There’s suggestions for finding FREE lesson plans embedded in many listings as helpful notes for educators. 

Check out the Look Inside the Book on the KIDS LOVE MICHIGAN page and place your order. 

Or, purchase your copy at the upcoming show: www.homeschoolingworks.com in Farmington Hills on March 20th, 2010. George will be there signing books and bringing the books to life with vivid visuals and stories. 

FOR-MAR NATURE PRESERVE & ARBORETUM
Flint (Burton) – 2142 North Genesee Road (I-75 exit 122 to I-475 exit 8 east on
Davison, north on Genesee) 48509. Phone: (810) 789-8567 or (800) 648-7275.
www.geneseecountyparks.org/formar.htm. Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 8:00am-
5:00pm. Trails 8:00am -Sunset. Special programs on Saturdays.

A 380 acre preserve with 7 miles of trails. There are hundreds of wonderful
things to see and learn at For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum. To help
you experience everything nature has to offer, For-Mar now loans Discovery
Backpacks. There are three types of Discovery Backpacks : Michigan Naturalist,
Basic Birding and Insect Investigator. Each backpack offers different tools and
materials that will help you and your family enrich your outdoor experience.
These backpacks may be borrowed for up to two hours with a valid driver’s
license from an adult, 18 years of age or older. Visitor Center with Gift Shop.
Cross-country skiing in winter. Guided programs charge admission.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY (MOSI)
Tampa – 4801 E. Fowler Avenue (I-75 exit 265, Fowler Avenue westbound about
2.5 miles) 33617. Phone: (813) 987-6000 or (800) 995-MOSI. www.mosi.org. Hours:
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm; Saturday-Sunday 9:00am-6:00pm. Admission:
$20.95 adult, $18.95 senior (60+), $16.95 child (2-12). Parking is FREE. Ticket
includes admission into MOSI, Kids in Charge, one Planetarium show and one
standard IMAX film.

Home to Florida’s first IMAX Dome Theater and the Southeast’s largest science center, the Museum was designed with input from kids. The scientific playground is filled with over 450 hands-on activities and interactive traveling exhibits. Highlights include the “Gulf Coast Hurricane Chamber” which allows visitors to experience 74 mile per hour winds, and the “Challenger Learning Center” where guests can assume the role of astronaut or engineer. We absolutely loved the hurricane wind chamber experience! MOSI’s “High Wire Bicycle” is the longest high wire bike in a U.S. museum. The Kids In Charge building was so well done – you can tell local kids really have input. The exhibits not to miss are Bed of Nails (we really laid on a real bed of nails!) and the Rope Maze (spider web puzzle). Other features: “BioWorks Butterfly Garden,” “The Amazing You: An Exhibition of the Human Body,” plus an Avionics Flight simulator, a planetarium and two Diplodocus dinosaurs that stand three stories tall and are the largest articulated dinosaurs ever discovered. This campus is huge.

 Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

HUMMEL PLANETARIUM & EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
Richmond – Lancaster Avenue (off KY 876 to Kit Carson Drive at traffic light#7,
turn right and follow signs) 40475. www.planetarium.eku.edu/about.php. Phone:
(859) 622-1000. Miscellaneous: You might want to ask the staff a clever question
like: Has anyone ever been hit by a meteorite? Like to look at the sky online, go
to www.skyviewcafe.com and take a look!

HUMMEL PLANETARIUM AND SPACE THEATER – (859) 622-1547, Kit Carson Drive, Eastern Bypass. The 13th largest planetarium in the US with space science gift shop. Admission around $3.00-$4.00/person. Children’s Shows Thursday and Friday @ 6:00pm, Saturday @ 2:00pm & 6:00pm. Public Programs Thursday & Friday 7:30pm, Saturday 3:30pm. A visit to the Hummel Planetarium is a trip through the universe. Planetarium equipment stimulates the night sky by using a giant star ball with the capacity of projecting over 10,000 stars, multiple projections of five planets, a sun, the moon, etc. – all of these operating simultaneously with surround sound. You can also travel throughout space and see the planets from other planets besides earth. At the end of each program, see the Kentucky night sky as it will look that night – look for your favorite constellations.
MEADOWBROOK FARM PROGRAM – (859) 622-1310. Meadowbrook Road (off KY 52). Agricultural production, diary cattle, beef cattle, sheep, swine and cropping operations. Welcome during normal business hours or tours by appointment.
ATHLETIC TICKET OFFICE – (859) 622-2122. Eastern Bypass. Over ten
varieties of sports including Collegiate basketball and football.
GREENHOUSE – (859) 622-2228, Eastern Bypass. Foliage propagation and
production, rose and carnation beds.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

Oak Ridge

About one-third of the museum is devoted to the World War II Manhattan Project that created the secret city of Oak Ridge…enriching uranium that is used in nuclear bombs. One third highlights basic science and technology and one-third is devoted to fossil fuels and alternative energy sources. There are live demonstrations for audience participation, hands-on activities, and models and devices to explore, experiment and discover more about how the world works through science. Key spots are the: Solar Energy Project, Cold War/Civil Defense. 

KIDS LOVE TRAVEL PROJECT RESEARCH NOTES – Sample of Beginning Writer’s worksheet

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DELTA COLLEGE PLANETARIUM & LEARNING CENTER
Bay City – 100 Center Avenue (I-75 exit 162A, head into town, left on N. Madison,
right on Center) 48708. Phone: (989) 667-2260. www.delta.edu/planet/. Hours:
Call or visit website for schedule. Note: Show lengths vary. Allow a one hour
block of time. Pre- and post-visit materials are available for selected shows.
Admission: $3.00-$3.50 per person.

A wonderful place to teach children the fun of star-gazing. The planetarium
is state-of-the-art and the rooftop observatory seats over 100 people. The
audience actually gets to choose what to see in the solar system. Look for
programs about sky pirates or cowboys or Garfield.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!

DETROIT SCIENCE CENTER
Detroit – 5020 John R Street (I-75 – Warren Ave. Exit heading west to John R St.)
48202. Phone: (313) 577-8400. www.detroitsciencecenter.org. Hours: Monday-
Friday 9:00am-3:00pm, Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-6:00pm. Increased hours
during school holidays and occasional Fridays. Admission: $6.95-$7.95 per
person (age 2+). IMAX is additional $4.00. Miscellaneous: Café.

Just a block away from the Detroit Institute of Arts is another wonderful
example of what learning “outside of the books” is all about. Located in the
heart of Detroit’s Cultural Complex (park once and visit maybe 4-5 museums),
the museum still has the IMAX Dome Theatre and Digital Dome Planetarium
plus new, dynamic exhibits. Space Laboratory takes you into the sky via
space shuttle or telescope. Visitors can pedal a bicycle “at the speed of
the space shuttle” to discover how long will it take to reach the moon, Mars
and beyond and position each planet the correct scale distance from the
sun. Motion Lab has a “stadium” Science Stage and lots of pulling, pushing
physics comparing motion, speed and direction (little engineers thrive here).
The Life Science Lab focuses on similarities between the rainforest and city
ecosystems. The Matter and Energy Lab has a “caged” Sparks Theatre and
exhibits exploring electricity, magnetism, energy conversion, etc. Power a light
bulb with a hand-crank generator—then see how much less effort is required
to light a fluorescent tube of the same intensity. Or, create a tornado! Surf
the phenomena of everyday light and sound in the Waves and Vibrations
Laboratory – just look for all the funky lights and sounds. There’s even an area
for the younger set to explore all the things their older siblings are playing
with on a larger scale. Everyday objects become boats and water movers in
a water feature surrounded by aquariums and plants. A quiet area provides
families with a space where children can work on computers and infants
can receive special care. Children can create treasures to take home in the
Make and Take area, a space designed as a “science through art” studio. The
Greenhouse introduces children to seeds, plants and how things grow.

Want to know more about traveling with kids on I-75?
Visit www.kidslovetravel.com/kids_love_i-75.htm and get the scoop!