Field Trips - Fire Hall and Pathology Lab

We've had a full week this week, with two neat field trips in the past two days. Yesterday we went to a local fire station to learn all about what the fire fighters do and to see all the neat equipment that they use. The kids were thrilled to get to sit in the trucks, and got a real kick out of seeing one of the moms dressed up in fire fighting gear.

It's amazing to think that the gear she has on weighs close to 100 pounds, and then there are all of the tools and equipment to carry on top of that! They must be incredibly fit.

One of the dads in our homeschool group is a doctor, and today he arranged to take us on a tour of the pathology lab at one of our local hospital. There was an entire room filled with walls of specimens like the ones pictured below, and we saw some pretty amazing things. We were able to examine samples of almost any body part one could think of, as well as compare healthy tissue to diseased or damaged tissue.

It was enlightening for the kids (and the adults too) to see what a difference your lifestyle choices can have on your internal health. It really makes you realize how incredible the human body is. In the above photo, some of the girls are learning about the female reproductive system with one of the moms (who is also a nurse).

After these two trips, we're definitely inspired to be more careful about our health and safety!