My Discovery Destination!

As the back-to-school season sweeps across the nation, parents and children alike embark on a journey of learning, growth, and personal development. While subjects like mathematics, science, and language arts take center stage, there's another critical lesson that often remains in the shadows: financial education. In an era of complex economic landscapes and ever-evolving financial instruments, imparting financial wisdom to the younger generation is a responsibility that can't be overlooked. The Foundation for a Secure Future Picture this: a child confidently navigating through the intricacies of budgeting, saving, investing, and understanding credit scores. This isn't a distant dream; it's the potential reality when we prioritize financial education alongside conventional academics. Just as a solid foundation in traditional subjects forms the basis for academic success, a robust understanding of financial concepts lays the groundwork for a secure financial future. Why

Ready or not, summer is here, and I think after this past, very loooong winter, we are ready! This year, thanks to the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, we get to kick off the Summer Passport Program with some major Summer Passport parties! In Tremonton they will be having a foam party and snow cones. In Cache Valley and Brigham we have opted for bounce houses, bubble balls, air archery . . . and snow cones. In the Salt Lake City area they are having a foam party, magician, face painting, balloon artist, air archery and BBQ sandwiches! At each location you will find a fun Summer Passport photo booth, summer fun scavenger hunt, and whole lot of FUN! Most families think of the Summer Passport program as FREE Summer FUN that gives them ideas and opportunities to keep kids bodies active and their minds engaged . . . and it is definitely that! However, it's also a whole lot more! The Summer Passport is built on the foundation of the Discovery Family Adventures, whic

I like to quote things like Disney movies and famous people. Benjamin Franklin is credited with one of my favorite and most-used quotes. What is that, you say? I’m glad you asked!  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It means it’s easier (and usually more cost-effective) to prevent something than it is to fix it once it’s busted. Think brakes on your car. It’s much cheaper to replace worn brake pads than to turn or replace rotors. Go ahead, look it up.  But this statement doesn’t just apply to automobile maintenance. It’s the same way with helping mold children into confident, loving adults who positively contribute to society. When families spend time together building good memories and having fun, more is happening than meets the eye. When parents spend quality time and engage with their children, any of the socially-recognized, scientifically-proven preventative factors to prevent child abuse are fostered, namely, environments that provide: nurturing and attachment, p

  Meagan Piantanida - My Discovery Destination! This will not come as a shock to most of you, but we are living in a world of instant gratification. We want what we want, and we want it five minutes ago: food, entertainment, and even a cure for the sniffles. Then there are answers to any of the questions we have. We want our information NOW.  Because information is available at our fingertips–literally, because not a single one of us ever puts down our mini-computer, also known as a phone–the answer to any query we have is utterly, completely, and directly in our hands.  While having the world available at the touch of a screen is an awesome thing, this age of cyberspace resources has created a planet full of some very impatient people. We have SO MUCH data right in front of us that many of us experience information overload. Does this sound familiar to you? You enable the recorder on your phone, ask Google or Siri a question, click on one of the provided links, pull up some text on th

Meagan Waite, Assistant Director - My Discovery Destination! I used to work for a local school district. I had summers off, and they always flew by. I once had a boss tell me, “Once July 24 (which is a holiday in Utah) is here, summer is OVER!” She wasn’t wrong.  Before long we will again be acutely aware of school zones, crossing guards, small human bicyclists, and that occasional elementary child that may dart out in the street. Back-to-school time can be a little scary as we all get used to the start-of-the-year school-yard melee. My Discovery Destination! and the Discovery Family Coalition have “gamified” prevention in their quest to get every family talking about important issues like pedestrian safety, mental health, drug safety, online safety, bullying prevention and more. Green Ribbon Week is an annual safety program held in conjunction with the beginning of school to educate families and communities about pedestrian and bike safety and to ensure every child knows how to get to