When the TMI incident happened, I was 8 years old and in 3rd grade at one of the four old tiny public schools in downtown Lancaster, Haupt Elementary School (corner of Lemon and Lime Streets).
We were told by our teachers that it wasn’t safe to go outside for recess that day because of the TMI accident. My 3rd grade teacher took some time to explain what had happened, and what nuclear fuel, power and radiation were. So for the remaining recess time, the entire 3rd grade stood by the classroom windows trying to catch a glimpse of what radiation might look like. Pointing to things that perhaps looked different than they were the day before.
Dan