5 "Jobs" Your Kids Can Enjoy Before They Go Back To School

Remember summer vacation?  I’ll never forget that feeling on the last day of school.  No bills, no responsibilities, no real worries.  It was great!  Don’t get me wrong, being an adult has its advantages.  I can eat ice cream anytime and go to bed whenever I want (it’s still 9pm for me).  

Summer vacation is coming to an end for most kids.  They’ll be hitting the books soon.  But who says work is only for adults?  Personally, I think it’s high time we gave these whipper-snappers a taste of what it’s like to have a job!  
Here are 5 fun weekend trips that’ll give your kids a taste of some unique jobs.  

It’s a Zoo out there!
The Nashville Zoo has a Jr. Zookeeper program for kids age 10-14.  It costs $50 per class if you’re a zoo member ($75 for non-members).  Programs include, animal nutrition, veterinary care and exhibit design!  

Building Character
The Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tennessee includes “The Village;” a 70-acre collection of barns, cabins and other buildings that recreate pioneer times.  There’s also a working farm and garden!  Kids can experience what it was like to live, work and farm back in the day before electricity and air conditioning.

Can you dig it?
The Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga has a cool exhibit called the Excavation Station.  I always wanted to be a paleontologist as a kid, so this would be a dream come true.  Kids can dig in a large sand pit and discover buried dinosaur bones.  Yes.  Costumes included!  Tickets to the Discovery Museum are $12.95 (save a few bucks if you show your aquarium ticket stub!).  

Junior Ranger
Kids between the ages of 5 and 12 can enter the Junior Ranger program at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Booklets are available at the Elkmont or Cades Cove visitor centers.  The Junior Ranger program includes neat programs like blacksmithing, hikes, flower and tree identification and volunteer opportunities.  Pick up your junior ranger booklet any time of year for $2.50.

Pot O’ Gold
Did you know that the first documented gold mine in the United States is in North Carolina?  The Reed Gold Mine is a National Historic Landmark located in Midland, NC.  Even better, admission is free!  If kids want to strike it rich and try their hand at panning for gold, the fee is $3 per pan.  A small price to pay for fun!  

Now grab the family and get to work!