Ithaca, N.Y. (WENY) - First Graders in Tompkins County are making stops across the county on their journey to a hands-on learning experience through the "Kids Discover the Trail" Program.

Along the trail, students visit the Tompkins County Library, the History Center, The Science Center, the Nature Center, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Botanic Gardens, and the Museum of the Earth. Maureen Bickley, Museum Education Manager at the Museum of the Earth, says, "We work with the discovery trail in Tompkins County and we receive first grade students from all over Tompkins County, which is probably over 700 students that come through just for this one particular program."

The Museum of Earth is a natural history museum that follows the Earth from its creation. The museum uses interactive activities to provide the kids with a first hand learning experience. Bickley says, "What we do is we focus the program on interactive fun things, learning about rocks and fossils in New York."

The hope is that through this visit, kids will realize that science is attainable for everyone. Kelsey Capruso, the Museum of Earth's Education and Operations Coordinator, says, "I think it's a chance for them to be a scientist, that every day we can be scientists, You don't need fancy electron microscopes in order to learn more. You can just use your senses everyday to gain more knowledge about the world around you."