Kleenex Field Trips and the American Museum of Natural History

Having NYC in our backyard is a treat, and one that we try to enjoy as often as we can.  The city, and all of its robust offerings, never fails to entertain, but even better: it also educates.

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Aptly enough, last week, I was invited by my friends at The Motherhood to take part in a field trip to one of our favorite NYC institutions, the American Museum of Natural History.  Having explored the incredible exhibits on our own many times before, this field trip, sponsored by Kleenex, provided a unique behind the scenes experience for some of my blogging friends and our kids.

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Our group gathered at the AMNH to not only check out some of the latest exhibits, but also to learn about Kleenex’s current promotion that underscores the importance of field trips.  Field trips provide kids of all ages an opportunity to engage and absorb new educational experiences firsthand; it gives learning a totally different dimension, which is something that all kids should be able to enjoy.  And judging by the many mouths left agape in amazement throughout our visit, I can testify that our kids, especially my inquisitive preschooler, totally enjoyed themselves at AMNH!

Amazed!

Our first stop of the day was at one of AMNH’s newest exhibits, Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.  My guy practically screamed with excitement at every single case.  He just couldn’t believe all the (live!) frogs and toads in different shapes and sizes.  And since we were visiting right before the museum officially opened, we were told that the frogs’ behavior would be especially interesting.  The highlight of the frog exhibit, besides the video kiosk that showed each different frog’s favorite foods, was witnessing some frogs actually being fed.  Pretty cool!

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Our next stop was the World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit, and yet, another exhibit that didn’t disappoint, especially the dinosaur aficionados in our group! The kid had a blast playing with the mechanism that reenact the motions of how a brontosaurus ate.  But it was the fossil pit that was, perhaps, the biggest hit of all.  With “gwobbles,” tools and bones to dig out, we could have been there all.day.long.

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My niece will be visiting next week, so we’re hoping to take another trip to the American Museum of Natural History to discover even more!

Check it

Want to learn more about Kleenex’ Save the Fieldtrip Promotion?  Head to Kleenex’s Facebook page where you can enter to win $5000 toward your school’s own field trip.  In this day and age of cutbacks, I’m sure many teachers, parents and students could benefit from this awesome promo!
And since you’re already on the interwebs, check out their fancy on-the-go packs.  I am in love with the Wallet Packs.  Who knew tissues could be all stylish!

Full disclosure:  I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign.  The field trip was sponsored by Kleenex.  As always, opinions are my own.

Bugging Out at the Bronx Zoo

With illness always lingering, especially in a time where the H1N1 virus often makes headlines than not, Kleenex and The Motherhood partnered together to spread the word about the Battle of the Bug campaign. Last Friday, together with a group of NYC/NJ-area bloggers, I was invited to participate and learn more about the Battle of the Bug campaign.

It’s Wellness Wednesday over here on NKT, what perfect timing to share more about Kleenex’s Battle the Bug campaign.

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The Battle the Bug tour has been making its rounds and spreading the word on how to combat and avoid sickness. The tour made its way to the Bronx Zoo where we whacked bugs, got “sneezed on” and even had photo opps with the big blue bug and reinforced that ongoing battle of keeping our kids healthy.

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As families begin to fulfill their school shopping lists, it’s no doubt that boxes of tissues and hand sanitizer will find their way into many shopping carts. But in addition to the usual supplies, Kleenex tapped Jean Grabeel, to arm families with helpful tips and tactics on staying healthy all year.

Did you know

Grabeel, the Executive Committee member of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), has been the Coordinator for Health Services for the Springfield Missouri Public Schools. Grabeel, who has been a healthcare professional for close to 30 years, highlighted a few techniques on how to Battle the Bug:

  1. Help kids understand the importance of washing hands

    • -washing in between fingers is just as important too!
  2. Teach kids the importance of covering their nose and mouths when sneezing

    • -use tissues (Kleenex’s anti-viral tissues are said to kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses
    • -use the interior of their arm to cover nose/mouth and not their hands
  3. If kids have signs or symptoms of illness, STAY HOME

    • -signs include temperature over 100 degrees
    • -vomiting
    • -diarrhea
    • -kids should stay home until sickness and the symptoms subside.

When you sneeze, over 100,000 droplets go into the air at once at 200 mph and can reach up to 3 ft.
Knowing those details, why wouldn’t you cover your nose and mouth? Yuck!

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Grabeel noted that if kids don’t cover their noses and mouth when sneezing, it obviously increases the the possibility of spreading those nasty bugs, especially because of kids’ lack of social distancing. In your face, all the time.

The moms in attendance all asked a variety of questions, but Kimberly’s question regarding the safety of hand sanitizers caught my attention, particularly because I try to avoid alcohol-based sanitizers. Grabeel suggested that the these hand sanitizers are safe, and that even the CDC recommends using them. Though I”ll continue to use our natural sanitizers, I’ll keep in mind that the other stuff should be just fine too.

And finally, perhaps one most helpful suggestions that Grabeel offered was for parents to help keep their kids healthy is to be in communication with school health professionals. Grabeel said that school nurses and other health professionals are the best advocate for keeping our kids healthy.

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There won’t be a pop quiz later, but keeping the kidlets healthy is enough motivation to enforce the importance of battling the bug. Don’t forget: wash your hands, cover your mouths and if you’re sick, stay home!


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Full disclosure: Though not affiliated with Kleenex, I was compensated for this event.