Girl Visits Dry Cleaners for the First Time, Is Amazed

The pure joy and amazement my daughter displayed during her first visit to a local dry cleaners reminded me she has much to learn about the technological advancements that have improved our lives over the years.

At nine years old, she is growing up in a world where technology rules. And the speed at which it progresses is mind blowing. But it is the only reality she knows, and she barely blinks at the pace of innovation we are surrounded by today.

She also knows very little about things now considered outdated. Or how we got to where we are today. My husband recently called from a business trip, and my daughter had no idea how to use my iPhone as an actual phone. She is used to FaceTime and didn't know to hold the phone up to her ear.

She was so amazed when she saw the conveyer belt at the dry cleaners, I was amused. As was the business' employee, who invited my daughter to use her own foot to make it work. As you can see, it was a hit. Her reaction is priceless.

As soon as we got home, we looked into the history and science behind the conveyor belt. We learned primitive conveyor belts were used as early as the 19th century.

Conveyors are durable and reliable components used in automated distribution and warehousing. It is considered a labor saving system, allowing large volumes to move rapidly through a process, so companies can ship or receive higher volumes with smaller storage space and with less labor expense.

Belt conveyors are the most commonly used powered conveyors, because they are the most versatile and the least expensive. Product is conveyed directly on the belt so both regular and irregular shaped objects, large or small, light and heavy, can be transported successfully. They can be used to transport product in a straight line or through changes in elevation or direction, just like my daughter saw at the dry cleaners.

We are a homeschooling family and have a science unit coming up in a few weeks on simple machines. I think we got a head start today. Maybe we will even build a simple conveyor belt of our own!