Have you ever thought of getting in touch with your inner child from time to time? Obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．

    At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show-and-tell，arts-and-crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．

    30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She's always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．

    According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It's magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world．”

    “One person's here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident．”She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It's the things you don't plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other．''

    One day, Mr. Smith went to a dinner party. He was wearing very old clothes. He came into the room.But people in the room didn't look at him. They didn't ask him to sit at the table. He wasn't happy. But he said nothing.Mr. Smith went home quickly and put on his best clothes. He went back to the party. Everyone in the room stood up and looked at him. They gave him good food to eat.Mr. Smith took off his coat, and put it on the food and said, "Eat, coat!" The other people were surprised and asked, "What are you doing? Why do you do that?" Mr. Smith answered, "I am asking my coat to eat food. When I wore old clothes, you didn't look at me. You didn't ask me to sit down. Now I am wearing these nice clothes. And you give me good food. Now I see, you give the food to my coat, not to me."

    Imagine a relay race. During this race, an athlete holds a stick as he runs a certain distance. Then he passes the stick to the next runner. That person runs faster, and then passes the stick to a third runner. Now imagine that the runners do not pass a stick. Instead they pass shiny silk, as well as gold, fruit, and glass. Imagine that the race does not move forward in just one direction. Instead the runners go back and forth along a road. They trade goods all along this route (路线) and at each end of it. Now imagine that the runners are businessmen. They lead caravans (商队) or lines of camels that carry things to sell. They travel on the ancient Silk Road to earn their living.

    The Silk Road was a complex trade network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It stretched from eastern China, across central Asia and the Middle east, to the Mediterranean Sea. Businessmen traveled on the Silk Road from about 200 B.C. to about 1300 A.D. Then sea travel began to offer new routes. Some people called the Silk Road the world's longest highway. However, the Silk Road included many routes--not just one smooth path. The routes ran through mountains and across deserts. They passed through an area that now includes 18 countries. The Silk Road had many dangers. These dangers ranged from hot sun and deep snow to thieves and wars. Only expert traders could survive.

    The Silk Road got its name from its most prized goods. People used silk as money. They could pay taxes or buy goods with it. Traders carried more than just silk, though. They had gold, silver, and glass from Europe. People in the Middle East and Asia wanted these things. Businessmen also took horses from flat, grassy areas in central Asia and brought them to China and other areas. The horses changed the way people farmed and ran their armies. Indian businessmen traded salt and rare, beautiful stones. Chinese merchants traded medicine and china. They also traded paper, which quickly replaced animal skins in the west. Businessmen carried apples from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to combine different trees to create new kinds of fruit. They taught this science to others, such as the Romans. The Romans began to grow apples for food. The Silk Road led to worldwide commerce 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.

    The people along the Silk Road did not share only goods. They also shared beliefs. Monks, priests, and other faith leaders taught their religions to others. The Silk Road created pathways for knowledge, diplomacy, and religion.

    The morning after an evening struggle to care for my three-year-old daughter, I couldn't wait to get her to school. I, as a mother, was tired from the anger and her inability to communicate because of her slowed language development.

    As I accompanied her into the car, I felt desperate. Nothing was right with our world. She'd been born around the same time when the nation was witnessing the birth of another Great Recession. My job and my house had been victims. Then this happened. My child's language delay was identified, but doctors struggled to properly help her, I felt like we both needed to he rescued.

    I returned that afternoon as disenchanted with the little girl 1 loved as when 1 left. Walking slowly toward the school's playground gate, I found her preschool teacher racing to greet me.

    “You should have seen her today!” His breathy words were supported by excitement. I didn't interrupt. “See that climber.” He pointed to a wooden piece of playground equipment that looked like a rock wall. I nodded. “Well, every day since she started school, she's tried and failed to make it to the top.” He took a breath. “And today she did it!”

    He expressed his joy just as he'd witnessed her conquering Mount Everest! “She cheered and celebrated! I wish I'd recorded it!” His words comforted me. My daughter had conquered her mountain.

    As she ran toward me, I recognized something I hadn't before. I saw her perseverance(毅力). I saw her strength. I saw a Hero.

    Everyday greatness celebrates ordinary people who do unusual things in big and small ways, showing courage, kindness, love and selflessness. We encourage you to click these brief accounts and invite you to share your own story.

    The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and most beloved science museums in the United States.

    Why visit

    In 1824, the Franklin Institute opened in Independence Hall in memory of Benjamin Franklin and his scientific achievements. In 1934, with the construction of the current building and the nearby Eels Planetarium, it became a hands-on science museum.

    Today, it holds the distinction (荣誉) of being Pennsylvania's most visited museum. In the museum's rotunda (圆形厅), a 20 foot-tall marhle statue pays respect to the Founding Father and famous scientist.

    Must-See

    While the entire museum offers interactive (交互式的) fun, highlights include the high-tech Your Brain exhibits (展品), which offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the human brain; Sports Zone, which focuses on the scientific aspects of sports; Two Escape Rooms, where participants solve puzzles and riddles before lime runs out; and the on site Virtual Reality Demonstration Space.

    Pricing

    General Admission to the Franklin Institute includes access to three floors of hands-on science exhibits including permanent (永久的) interactive exhibits, Live Science programs, the Joel N. Bloom Observatory, and one show in the Fels Planetarium. Discounts are given for groups of 15 or more.

    To buy tickets, please click the ticket price to be directed to our online ticketing page where all the ticket prices are available. If you prefer to order tickets over the phone, please call 215-448 1200 (9: 00 a. m.—5: 00 p. m.)

    Member Tickets

    Members of the Franklin Institute receive exclusive (独有的) ticketing benefits, including discounted prices and no service fees. Please select your Membership level before buying member tickets.

As I have perfect pitch(绝对音感) and started playing piano at 3 years old, it's much natural for me to join the school's choir when I got to college in the US.

At first, everything went pretty 1 . I passed the audition(试音), and was even invited to join the more selective Chamber Singers. However, I soon became 2 after several rehearsals(排练). From jokes to music theory, I simply couldn't understand what they were talking about! And when I 3 others' pitch mistakes, they seemed unwilling to accept. I remained silent even when I knew the pitches were 4 .

It was our New Year Concert last year that 5 me out of deep waters. When we were singing the words of a song: "To live is to give", I thought "how could I be 6 just being a silent Asian?" Soon after the 7 , I started my plan. In my second term, I 8 to join all the conversations and started to help fellow singers with my abilities 9 identifying pitch. I was overwhelmed by the content of helping people, and was thrilled 10 more choir members came to me for casual talks.

From March to May, I was 11 soloist(独唱者) for four different songs, an unusual 12 for a first-year student. Among them, my favorite piece was a Spanish folk song that we 13 during the choir's spring tour to Madrid. A Chinese student singing a Spanish song in an American choir—how proud I was to 14 as an ambassador of cross-cultural communication! When the audience applauded us, I came to see a better world with understanding, 15 and love.