There's GOLD in them thar hills! Oh, no, wait. They're tiny little gems you can find when panning at the Tellus Museum in lovely Cartersville, Georgia. From the look on my 4-year-old's face, however, you'd think it was gold.A short jaunt northeast from Atlanta, Tellus is a hands-on science museum. On our most recent visit we spent at least 2 (two!) hours digging up sand in pans and picking out slick shiny stones from the water as we swirled it around. My son wore as much water as he scooped up, but it was little bother as we were doing hard work, and "workers sometimes get messy" he was quick to remind.
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| Panning for Gems |
The room, sponsored by Vulcan Materials Company, is set up with a water wheel and wooden chute in which to dredge up treasure. Children could stand in the inner ring on raised steps to reach, while the outer ring was for taller prospectors. Everyone from preschoolers to preteens (and OK, moms and teachers) had fun in the nearly addictive quest to fill their little plastic bag with a "full haul."
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| "Picking!" |
Along the walls are photos of old time prospectors. Guides, volunteers from the area, are happy to share not only the history of panning, but the secret to hitting the mother-load of gems while you pan. Oh, and panning is different from picking, they are quick to point out! They do, however, forgive the tiniest treasure hunters when they forget.
We look forward to our next venture into mining and mineralogy. Tellus Science Museum… You ROCK!
Prospector artwork by Tony Oliver on Flikr.
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