Visiting the Elementary School Science Fair
We're proud to be regular visitors at the Lake Elmo Elementary
School Science Fair, and one night a few weeks ago, Drs. Baillie and Plantz,
and five staff members travelled across the street to join in the fun.
We had a classroom, a few tables, and a laptop or two, but the real stars of
the evening were Joso (Dr. Baillie's golden retriever), Red the Tortoise (owned
by vet tech Kris), and Crackers the Amazon Parrot (from practice manager
Mila). "There were so many people in there, that we mostly responded
to questions from the children", said Dr. Baillie. "Kris talked
about the proper set-up and care for Red the Tortoise, and we fielded many
questions about heartworm and tick-borne diseases. Crackers was very
vocal and entertaining and the kids were fascinated by a talking bird.
And Joso, who adores children, may have actually gotten his fill of
petting; he was pretty tired when I got him home!" The
children... and the adults...enjoyed a laptop display of radiographs showing,
among other things, a chicken with an egg inside, and we also showed a program
on Dog Bite Prevention for children. (We have staff trained in this kind
of work, and sometimes take Dog Bite prevention programs to summer festivals in
the area.)
All
in all, we think the children had a good time, and we know that we did.
The Science Fair is one of our favorite nights of the year.
