Big Brother Mouse

2 November, 2012 - 3 November, 2012, Ban Kiukacham, Laos

Discovery festival: In wealthy countries, young people get a range of experiences that that contribute to their personal and mental development: Going to museums. Playing board games. Reading for pleasure. Watching movies. Expressing their opinion in a group discussion about something of significance. Taking fun day trips to the countryside. Experimenting with science kits. Solving puzzles of many sorts. Learning to speak in public. Such experiences are much rarer for young people here. For several years, the "Mouse Experience" has provided our staff with opportunities to enjoy and learn from these and other activities. Our "Discovery Days" take this experience to schools and youth centers.

This event was sponsored by Planet Wheeler Foundation (Australia) and Peggy Horn (Australia). Thank you!

This school year, we'll combine our Discovery Day activities with a book party, at more than a dozen high schools. These are big events: We need 30 staff to teach and oversee more than 3 dozen activities, ranging from constructions sets to science experiments.

Our first of this school year was in Kiu Kacham, high in the mountains south of Luang Prabang. One highlight was the new solar telescope, donated by the U.S. Embassy, through which students could watch solar flares on the surface of the sun.

As always, dinosaurs were also a hit. Older students diligently took notes. Younger kids, on a brief visit from the nearby primary school, just wanted to look.

We also had displays about subjects ranging from the human reproductive system, to the wonders of the world; and of course, a reading area. More than 700 students participated. At the end, they all got to select two books of their own, as well as a copy of The Joy of Reading, which encourages them to read aloud with younger children.

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