Summer Bucket List

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

Summer Bucket List
Some of my neighbors are moving south, to South America in fact, and I’m going to miss them. The twenty- two avian acrobats who live in the house in my front yard are flying to spend the winter in warmer lands.

After many years of trying, we finally were able to attract a colony of purple martins. They made our summer delightful with their music, family life, and soaring antics. We spent hours watching them and trying to figure out what they were doing and why.

Now the martins are leaving, and that is one more sign of the season’s changing. Soon the humming birds will be gone too. It reminds us all of our summer bucket lists which need to be completed. Have you checked yours lately?

If you have not been to the new Jennette’s Pier at the beach, you are in for a real treat. For a donation, you can walk out on the pier and feel like you are in the lap of the natural world. Leaning over the railing and watching the fish, jelly fish, skates, sting rays and other ocean life in their habitat is a glorious experience.

Other activities not to be missed, if it has been a while since you’ve enjoyed them, are going to the Wright Brothers Memorial and attending the Lost Colony Drama. Climb up to the memorial and survey the landscape. At the drama, be sure and take the backstage tour to learn all the behind the scenes secrets. Hear how DNA testing may soon alter the legend of the lost English colonists.

An afternoon at Port Discover and the Museum of the Albemarle will please both young and old. A new inhabitant and a new exhibit are soon to be unveiled at the science center. Go to the Downtown Waterfront Market on Saturday morning and enjoy the products that are grown locally.

Get out with your children and view the summer constellations which differ from the winter sky. Start planning your fall garden, and let the kids help with the preparation.

If you are a teacher, I know that turning the calendar to August directed your mind to your plans for the new school year. Look into taking you class on the H.A.S. IT Tour to the Art Center, Port Discover, and the Museum of the Albemarle. For a small fee, your students can spend a day exploring new exhibits and activities at all three places. Go on line to see the hands-on outreach programs that Port Discover offers.

Reading the story of the Wright brothers’ childhood and how they liked to experiment and build and had their mother’s encouragement reminded me how important it is that kids have a variety of experiences which will open doors for them. As William Wordsworth said, “the child is the father of the man.” Work on that summer bucket list.

What's Out There in the Dark?

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

What's Out There in the Dark?
If it is true that all great thinkers, scientists, academicians, theologians, and philosophers have based their revelations on observation, then it can be concluded that parents should give their children many opportunities to develop their own powers of observation. In fact, it may be a skill that is being damaged by modern life in many ways.

When the family goes on a trip, kids’ viewing of DVD’s is the accepted practice for keeping them occupied during the journey. Even walking down the street involves constant attention to a cell phone instead of looking at people.

As a 40 year teacher, I can tell you that the best students have finely tuned observation skills. They have studied people, the natural world, world events, and have drawn first hand conclusions about many things. When they express themselves in writing and speaking, it is evident that they are capable of forming their own conclusions. In the disciplines of science and math, the ability to observe with attention to detail is critical for success. Problem solving in all areas requires keen observation.

How can parents help their children to expand this ability to its maximum potential? Primarily, providing the time and opportunity to have practice observing and then verbalizing their findings is key in the development of this critical skill. The first step is to stop the multitasking train and focus on your surroundings.

On an evening when the moon is full and the sky is clear, take your children outside to exercise their five senses. First, allow your eyes to adjust to the dark, and then start trying to make out specific objects.

Ask the children questions. What animals can you see? Are there any plants that you recognize? Is there enough light so that you can recognize each other? Are there any movements that you can distinguish? Walk away from each other. How far can you get before you can’t see each other at all? Turn your attention to the sky and study the moon ant its shadows. Is there a silver lining behind every cloud? Is there a difference in the brightness of the stars?

What do you hear? Bugs? Owls and other night birds? Frogs? Bats? Are you near water? Can you hear animals splashing? How do the sounds you hear at night differ from what you hear in the day? Can you hear the wind? Try your other senses—smell, touch. Make a conscious effort to focus on one at a time.

Help you child research the difference between nocturnal animals and creatures that move about in the daytime. Have them draw conclusions about what they find-out. Discuss why some people are afraid of the dark. Ask if their outdoor experience changed their feelings about the dark.

Children can often answer their own questions, if they have developed the patience and skill to carefully observe their world, even in the dark.

Flights of Fancy

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

Flights of Fancy
When you have an outrageous dream that is not likely to happen, you call it a “flight of fancy.” It seems that anything dealing with flight has always existed as somewhat of a dream for humans. Even though mankind has gone to the moon, that idea is incomprehensible to some who refuse to believe that it happened.

Our area was tied in with the dream of flight from the very beginning when the Wright brothers passed through Elizabeth City and acquired materials to take with them to Kitty Hawk for their grand experiment. As time has passed, there have been many events and accomplishments connected to flight that were tied to the Albemarle Area.

When my husband was a little boy, huge blimps from the Naval Base in Weeksville flew over his home while he was playing in the yard. The shadow and hum of the low flying air ships creeping over his head would terrify him, and he’d run inside for cover. The sight of the floating giants was a part of daily life in those days.

The base eventually closed, but we proudly still have the U.S. Coast Guard Base which has a long list of accomplishments. You can still go see the massive hangar where the vessels were housed. Sadly, in August 1995 a spark from a welder’s torch created the fire that destroyed one of the hangars which had been the largest wooden structure in the world.

In the past few years, College of The Albemarle and Elizabeth City State University have developed aviation programs that have great promise of expanding opportunities for our area. As the interest in aviation grows, educators at all levels are responding.

Last year Port Discover acquired a grant from Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation for an aviation science exhibit and series of programs called “Getting Off the Ground” which is slated to open in September. Some of the highlights will be a control tower, interactive kits, discovery of aviation occupations, a hot seat simulator, and a paper airplane hangar. An advisory board with members from COA, ECSU, Albemarle Area Economic Development Commission, and USCG are helping with all aspects of the new exhibit’s creation.

The Piedmont Natural Gas grant allowed Port Discover to sponsor a workshop conducted by the Civil Air Patrol for Pasquotank County middle school teachers. Teachers were given materials and lesson plans to use in their classrooms next year as well as a stipend. They are committed to incorporating aviation in a variety of disciplines.

In the fall, seven local families will be able to win a flight over coastal NC. Look out for more information on how to participate in Family Flight Night through Port Discover.

“Getting Off the Ground” will be another large step in the center’s mission to enhance the public’s understanding and enjoyment of science through interactive and engaging exhibits. Students and adults alike will find information and inspiration for their dreams of one day having a career in aviation or developing an interest in flying.