Having spent most of my life in the Tahoe area, moving to Old Sacramento is definitely a change. Even after the powder hits the ski resorts, South Lake Tahoe still has a small town feel. Old Sacramento is different. Good, but different. I think of it as busy with a charm that’s easy to get used to. I’ll miss the South Shore (especially my coffee friends at Starbucks), but I am very happy to be here.
I started my first day with some orientation and on the job training. Got to learn a little about the history of Old Sacramento, the California Railroad Museum, and a preview of what to expect with Gold Rush Days. I think that the most important thing that I learned was how to plan and build educational Expeditions.
On the Job Training: Learning how to Plan an Educational Expedition
Trailmix.Net is a different kind of company than I am used to. I spent the morning learning about planning an Educational Expedition. An Educational Expedition is basically a plan to visit a backyard, state park, national park, museum, or other public location for educational purposes.
It’s pretty easy to do, all you have to do is pick an activity (let’s say for example “Hiking with Kids”), a location (hmmm, South Lake Tahoe anyone?), and set a specific goal. For best results we want to set a S.M.A.R.T. goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) directed at an educational topic.
Trailmix.Net has all kind of equipment that you can use to launch an educational expedition. Everything from Geocaching gear to Discovery Scopes. It’s one of the only (maybe the only) place in Sacramento where you can drop in, pick up a travelbug or discovery scope, validate your parking and be on your way in a matter of minutes. Anyhow…. I digress.
You can create an educational expedition to find a bird, identify a plant, visit a zoo, count jellyfish at the aquarium, go on a scavenger hunt in a historical district, shoot a photo of deer in a meadow, photograph acorn grinding stones, or an infinite number of other activities… its that easy. Pick an activity, select a place, set a goal…. And have fun.
