A few weeks ago, I chaperoned a field trip to Blandford Nature Center with Maybelle’s class.  This meant driving 25 minutes with four Kindergarten girls in my van.  Four very chatty Kindergarten girls.  In my van.  For 25 minutes. And for reasons known only to school administrators, parents are not allowed to have the radio on while chaperoning.

This is not the part of the story where technology was awesome.

Once we got to Blandford {and my ears stopped bleeding}, I remembered that the kids and I had discovered something very cool there this summer.  While Miss Kristin had story time with the Kindergarteners, I was showing all of the parents the very cool Blandford Nature Center App and then stood over their shoulders to make sure they downloaded it.   THIS is the part of the story where technology is awesome.

Once the app is on your phone, at different points around the Nature Center you can scan QR codes on plaques.  An audio clip plays, and tells you what you are looking at.  It’s like a personal tour!  And it’s not all weird and polished sounding; it’s like a real guy telling you interesting things about a cool place.  There is also a map, and some other information you can access too.  I am not ashamed to say that when I see that little owl on my phone, it makes me smile. It is an android app, so I’m afraid you iPhone folks will have to wait.

Kids from the Blandford School showed up after story time and took the kids off into the woods, leaving all of the chaperones alone with our phones and QR codes.  And there we were; a bunch of dorky grown ups, riveted by a podcast on the diet of an owl.  Quite the sight.

I know it’s getting chilly, but it’s still beautiful outside.  If you’re looking for a way to decompress and have some fun with your kids, it’s a good time to head over to Blandford.  You have my full permission to listen to the radio all the way there, too.