ICO and Warren B&G Club Visit Tellus Museum

On Saturday November 7, Atlanta ICO took a group of kids from the Warren Boys and Girls club to Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA.  The non-stop Georgia rain forced us to cancel the weekend camping trip and spend the day indoors.  We checked out the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, and the Science in Motion exhibits.

 The kids also had fun playing with the hands-on inventions in the Collins Family My Big Back yard exhibit.  And last but not least, we watched the Night Sky in the Bentley Planetarium.
Pictures to the left show the kids viewing some of the exhibits.

After leaving the museum, we headed over to the Etowah Indians Mounds Historic Site to look at some of the artifacts.  It was a good day - especially to get out but not get wet in the rain.

Atlanta ICO at Sierra Club Retreat - Crooked River State Park and Cumberland Island

 The Worley Brown kids got to attend the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter retreat this year thanks to Kim Salazar and Brenda Potter of Fiserv.  This is our group shot in from of the sign before jumping on the boat for Cumberland Island

 This is a shot of the kids hanging out after hiking down to the Dungeness ruins.  Someone told us there were some horse in the back so we headed back.  Later that day as we hiked back towards the beach, we came head to head with an expecting mother horse and one of her young.  We moved over to let the two pass.  The kids went wild.

Campfire later that night after dinner and the banquet.  There is always room for marsh-mellows.

National Public Lands Day Outing

Saturday was supposed to be spent cleaning up Panola Mountain Park for National Public Lands Day.  The continuous Atlanta rain made it too muddy.  Instead, the kids from Warren Boys and Girls Club and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) visited the CDC museum to check out the new exhibit on the Georgia Refugee Communities. We received a personal tour from Louise E. Shaw, Curator of the David J. Spencer CDC Museum.

Afterwards, the groups enjoyed pizza and a hike though Lullwater Park at Emory University where we just happened to spot the Emory University President and his wife driving home.

What a great Day ! ! !

International Rescue Committee Hiking at Brasstown Bald

Atlanta ICO and IRC went hiking at Brasstown Bald on Saturday May 24th.  It was a gorgeous day as the group got to experience some hills in the back country.

May 16 Warren B&G Club Outing to Island Ford Park

Eleven youth from the Warren/Holyfield Boys and Girls Club participated in an ICO trip led by three volunteers on May 16th. The group traveled to Island Ford Park, a tract of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and began the outing with fishing "old time" style using bamboo poles and bait provided by John, a Park Ranger. The youth caught three fish in a matter of 45 minutes and followed John's instructions on how to release them back into the pond. After lunch, the kids were tugged out of the air-conditioned Welcome Center (it was a hot, humid day) for a hike. Once outside, the group had fun observing more wildlife--even snakes!, exploring an overhung rock face, and running to the top of the hill. We found ourselves off the trail sometimes, but had a lot of fun, despite the heat and a few scrapes. The participants learned how to move in the woods and catch fish – and built some lasting memories.

April 25th April Outing to Fernbank Science Museum IMAX - Mysteries of the Unseen Worldl.

On April 25th, four stalwart youth from the Warren-Holyfield Boys and Girls Club braved heavy rain to join the outing lead by two volunteers from Atlanta ICO.  The original plan was to hike to the top of Mount Yonah (a trip to take the place of one cancelled last Fall when the mountain was too icy), but heavy thundershowers and a forecast of rain and lightning all day necessitated a change of plan, again.  The trip was changed to the Fernbank Science Museum to see the IMAX film on “Mysteries of the Unseen World” and an exhibit on “Poisons” that featured poisonous plants, snakes and other animals.  Afterwards, the rain had abated and the youth voted for a hike at East Palisades Park among the nearby options.  Everyone had lunch en route to the park, and hiked the rest of the afternoon.  It was interesting to see how high the river was (covering all the rocks near “Devil’s race” where the youth explored on a previous outing), and they found a huge centipede and several small snakes along the trail—making it an exciting day overal

 On Saturday, some volunteers from Atlanta ICO took 9 kids and 4 agency reps from Worley Brown Boys and Girls Club to Cloudland Canyon State Park.

We started the afternoon with a round of team frisbee golf.  With 6 teams comprised of kids and a few adults, the kids managed to win easily.  We were over par on most holes but this was our first time.  To the left is a picture of a few kids practicing their technique.  

 After golf, we headed over to the trail head for an exciting view of the canyon.  We hiked down to the 2 waterfalls and enjoyed dipping our feet in the water.  On our way to the 2nd waterfall, we discovered some of the local wildlife.  It's always fun to see wildlife.