By: Randi Brazier

Imagine a day in the life of a homeless child on the streets of Sacramento. Breakfast and a shower seem like more compelling concerns than education. Fortunately, there are generous individuals who provide schooling, not to mention breakfast and showers, for those who go without more often than we'd like to imagine.

Last Tuesday, homeless children from Mustard Seed School in Sacramento enjoyed fun-filled learning right here at Explorit. Their visit was made possible by generous contributions to Explorit's Sassenrath Scholarship and Fee Assistance Fund. Mustard Seed School was the first recipient of fee assistance from this fund.

Mustard Seed is a free, private non-profit school serving homeless children in the Sacramento area. With the ultimate goal of preparing and enrolling homeless children into public schools, Mustard Seed School has been aiding children in need for over ten years.

With the contagious enthusiasm of Explorit education specialist Talib Huff, the children of Mustard Seed School spent the morning exploring the amazing diversity and adaptations of arthropods. They designed spider webs, created "homemade" arthropods, and played with an interactive "Bug's Life" computer program. Most importantly, they smiled and laughed while learning.

The Sassenrath Fund was established in October of 1998 to honor the dedication of long-time Explorit supporter Ethel Sassenrath. Since then, many contributors have helped grow this fund.

To contribute to the Sassenrath Scholarship and Fee Assistance Fund, please make checks payable to Explorit Science Center and note that the contribution is designated for the Sassenrath Fund.

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In addition to schools benefiting from the Sassenrath Fund, several children will be awarded scholarships so they can attend Explorit's Summer Science Classes.

If you've always wanted your children to participate in Explorit Vacation Classes, but have not been able to afford the fees, you may be eligible for a scholarship from the Sassenrath Fund.

The scholarships are available to those in extreme financial need. For more information, call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.

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If you have not yet visited Explorit's current exhibition, A Fly On the Wall and Other Amazing Arthropods, make plans to do so soon. June 13 is the last day that creepy, crawly and at times beautiful creatures will be the focus of Explorit's hands-on exhibition.

Or plan ahead to visit Explorit's upcoming summer exhibition, How Does My Garden Grow? opening on June 26.

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Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is A Fly On the Wall and Other Amazing Arthropods. Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school ID) and children under 4 are free.