ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM TOUR

After meeting at the park for some fun on the playground, our group traveled across the street to the Arizona Historical Society Museum for a tour. We checked out exhibits on population growth and its effects on the environment and animals. We also enjoyed the outdoor Greenline Exhibit about water conservation in the desert. One shortcoming of our tour was that our guide, unfortunately, seemed to be not very tolerant of inquisitive children. So we turned that negative aspect into a learning experience as well - a lesson in compassion for other people, as our children and parents exercised a good deal of patience and understanding.

Ten year old Sammi responded to one exhibit about Japanese-American interment camps in Arizona during WWII. She was outraged at the injustice, as she associates Japanese culture with beauty, good food, and origami – many thanks to R&S cultural events in 2005 (see 8/05)! We talked on the way home about hate crimes and discrimination, the fact that these atrocities still occur in our society, and how NonViolent Communication is one approach to dealing with intolerance.