Lost River Cave: Bowling Green, KY

When the weather is 100+ we usually stay indoors as much as possible, but after a while of this we are all craving a little outdoor activity. We decided a trip to a cave would be fantastic considering the temperature inside caves are in the mid-fifties all year long.

Lost River Cave has a rich history. Native Americans used it during the hot summer months. Later, it was used by settlers. During the civil war, it stored supplies first for the confederates before later being discovered by the union army. After southern reconstruction, a mill was built in the entrance to the cave, but it burned three times. It is even told that Jesse James and his men used the cave. In the 30's it was a nightclub and the most popular spot in town because it was the only place with air conditioning. After air conditioning became common, the cave became an illegal dump until a nonprofit decided to clean it up and make it into what you see today.

The tour is a boat ride through a few large caverns with interesting geological formations. I wish I had some pictures, but nothing turned out. Suffice it to say it was cool and fascinating.

The Blue Holes, or Karst Windows, are both beautiful and deadly. They are places where the underground river breaks through to the surface. Even though it looks stagnant, the water is swirling and flowing. The water had fish and frogs. These bullfrogs were at least the length of my hand. Limestone is the key ingredient for all of these formations. Because limestone is easily dissolved and worn away, caves and underground tunnels are made. Even the blue hue from the pools is from the dissolved limestone in the water. The beauty of these holes remind me of a scene from a fairy tale.

And, just like a fairy tale, there is often a cruel twist. The stories of the deaths that have happened here were shocking. Entire wagons, horses and crews fell off the path and into the pools never to be seen again. Swimmers would jump in never to resurface, nor did their would be rescuers. For years the pools were thought to be haunted, cursed, or bottomless. Measurements were taken that gave differing results. They now know the bottom is full of holes and tubes with the river's current being pulled through. These picturesque pools run swift and deep.

In addition to the cave tour, there are several miles of hiking paths that are free. Even with soaring temperatures, the shade made it tolerable. There is a butterfly house on the trails which didn't disappoint. There were tons of butterflies flying about that would alight on people if they were still for a moment.

The last stop for us was sluicing for minerals and fossils. My kids love this. We purchased a bag (either fossils or minerals) and poured it into a sieve which was then swirled in the troughs of running water to reveal their treasure. The bags were full of great things, but the best find was when my kids followed the water and discovered eddies that contained piles of sand from previous little miners. When they put these piles through the sieves, they discovered several treasures that had been left behind. My eagle-eye husband found several more just walking along and looking in the grass underneath the trough. If not for the heat, my little treasure hunters would have stayed there all day! 

10 Things To Do This Summer (Free or Almost Free)

1. Free: Picnic at a State Park. Find a park, any park and pack a picnic lunch. Don't forget the bug spray.

2. $1.00 Movies at Regal Theaters. Just be forewarned, if your kids have to have the snacks that go along with a trip to the movies, the regular movie prices apply which no longer makes it a bargain in my opinion.

3. Bass Pro Shop has free workshops and activities for kids in the summer.

4. Lowe's Free Build and Grow activities are held once a month all year long. You may need to call ahead to reserve a spot.

5. Splashing in the sprinklers is never a dull day.

6. Take a tour of local production plants. Here in Nashville, Purity Dairy and Nissan top the list.

7. Library Reading Program. It's a free program with a day of fun promised for doing something we do anyway!

8. Plant something and watch it grow. Enjoy a flower or eat a vegetable that you grew yourself. It is a very rewarding experience.

9. Pick your own fruits and vegetables at a local farm. While technically not free, you are spending your money on food that you need anyway. Why not make a day of it and let the kids see where their food come from.

10. Lego Free Builds are every month at the Lego Stores. Anyone who loves legos knows that free legos are very rare!

Well we'll be off very soon on a trip that has been twisting me in knots for months. My daughter's violin group will be playing Downtown Disney and Sea World as well as a couple of highly prestigious events here in Nashville. Check out this link!

Local news clip about Nashville Suzuki Players.

Five (plus 1) Free Field Trips in Nashville

Field trips don't need to be expensive. Here in Nashville there are several great places to go and things to do for FREE. Some of these require registration while others are pleased to see you just walk in. There is even one that will provide T-shirts all for free.

Jr. FLL

We just completed our first year with Jr. First Lego League. It has been a great experience for all of us! The theme this year was Body Forward and the kids were asked to come up with a replica and poster of a biomedical invention that makes things better or easier for everyone. Oh, did I forget to mention that some part of this had to move?

Working? Playing? Yes!

Tons of Legos helps

The first idea was to create a prosthetic arm from Lego pieces. After weeks of reading books on the subject and a field trip to a prosthetic designer, we decided that it just wasn't working.
After another brainstorming session, the kids clearly wanted to do something with a military theme. After some online research, they decided to reconstruct a Combat Support Hospital (CSH and pronounced "cash") that is used for troops in combat areas.

Da Vinci robotic surgery

X-ray machine

The CSH unit has five stages. A helicopter to transport the injured from the battle field, an armored transport vehicle to carry the injured to the tents, a triage tent to asses the wounds, an operating tent, and an intensive care unit tent for recovery. The cycle is complete as the recovering soldier is once again loaded aboard the helicopter to be flown to a better hospital.  Sound like a lot? Not for these kids. They attacked to project and really produced an outstanding display.

Coming together! Clockwise from lower left: helicopter, transport vehicle, triage, OR, and ICU

 The moving parts were on the helicopter which was supported on poles above the rest of the display. A motor made the blades spin and a manual crank lifted a wounded minifig in a basket. Some of my favorite features for the other stages were: a transport vehicle with opening doors for a minifig to fit inside, a curtained off exam room in the triage made with a Lego fishing pole and net, the x-ray machine, the da Vinci robotic arms for the OR, a sink in the OR, IV poles and beds in the ICU and lastly, nurses and doctors toting laptops!

setting up at the JrFLL event

The final result!

The day was a success. The judges were impressed and the kids did a fabulous job describing their project. Every member spoke comfortably and knowledgeably to the judges. We were so delighted when we were asked to show our project as a representative of the junior level in April at the high school FLL event! We'll be there!


The project is not all that we did. We used the WeDo system and the Lego Education Set to teach programming and the use of simple machines. I blogged about this earlier here.

Working with the WeDo

Sprinkly Sun ~~~~Chihuly's Cheekwood Exhibit

These would have made for a great "Wordless Wednesday" but today being Thursday, you get commentary too.

 Cheekwood Botanical Gardens had a free day November 2nd. Most public schools were out this day so they could be used as polling stations on voting day. Add to this a final week of a Chihuly exhibit, and we knew we were in for some serious crowds. But, hey! Did I mention it was free?!

 The crowds were only bad at the beginning. Parking was a beast. But once inside, the gardens were not crowded at all. A few places where some major exhibits were centered resulted in an occasional line, but we never had to wait to see anything.

 We topped a hill and saw people playing by a pond. One of the most picturesque moments of my life. It looked like a movie set.

 The kids felt like they were on a scavenger hunt. We would round a bend and hear "Ooooh! Chihuly! I see the next Chihuly!"

Gum Drop (left) first noticed the "sun" in the posters flanking the entrance. She pointed to it then and said she liked that "sprinkly sun" best. When we came to it she would stand and look at it for a long time. She was disappointed we couldn't go right up to it and take a picture of her sitting under it. She told her daddy all about it when we got home. It never fails to stun me how art moves people of all ages.  If you ever have a chance to see Chihuly's work in person, I highly recommend it. Things I learned: 1. Each piece of glass is separate and rearranged for each exhibit. 2. Chihuly visited Cheekwood years ago and made sketches of displays he wanted to do. He then constructed them in his studio, made detailed instructions and had them shipped to the location. 3. Cheekwood has been working on the grounds for a year leading to the exhibit to ensure the plants around the exhibits were complimentary to the art. 4. Only about eight pieces were broken during the shipping and set up of this exhibit.

The Nina and Pinta, Up Close and Personal

Learning has many layers. The learning that happens when a child sees, touches, and experiences something often makes an impact that will remain with them for a longer time than just reading about it.

This replica of the Nina and its companion ship the Pinta were in Kentucky recently. Its schedule has it sailing into several ports in the Southeastern US. You can follow this link to see if they will be near you. The Columbus Foundation

Our tour explained everything from where Columbus' crew slept (on the deck soaked by water until they discovered hammocks from the natives) to why it's called a "poop deck" (believe it or not, it is derived from religious icons and dolls kept to protect the sailor.) I am not a sailor. I barely know my port from my starboard, yet just seeing the rigging and feeling the boat sway slightly below me was exciting. This ship has modern safety additions such as an inflatable lifeboat in order to make it seaworthy, but every effort was made to keep her as authentic as possible. A real sailing museum.