Dozens of preschoolers and kindergartners in Cal State Northridge's Child and Family Studies Center Lab School will get a chance to explore this wondrous contraption firsthand when a City of Los Angeles recycling truck visits their school yard on Thursday, April 19.

"Our children get exposed to recycling all the time. We thought they'd like to see a recycling truck up close," said Barbara Hill, director of the center. "Besides, it's not often they get to see something that big that close and to get inside it."

The truck, which has never been used, will visit the school at 18330 Halstead St. from 1:45 to 3:15 p.m. There will be a brief demonstration of what the truck can do, and then the children will have a chance to ask questions and explore the vehicle.

The Lab School and the center are part of CSUN's Department of Family Environmental Sciences and are dedicated to fostering the growth and development of the whole child as well as forming a partnership with the child's family. The school also serves as a learning environment for CSUN students interested in working with children.

California State University, Northridge has more than 29,000 full- and part-time students and offers 58 bachelor's and 50 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley.