Holiday Vacation Museum Time

While Daddy was off of work the week between Christmas and New Years we did a lot of household purging. A load to Goodwill, lots in the trash, some new storage ideas, you name it. We did take one whole day though to have some fun! It had been a while since we went to the Children's Museum and we thought it was time we went back. Uncle David was off that week too and he came with us (Aunt Cedes was working nights that week and needed some sleep)!



First up, a little art work!




(Colin made some paper!)

Then it was off to the "Make Shop," which is a new exhibit. The space it's in used to the the Mr. Roger's area. The museum has dismantled the old exhibit and placed some of the favorite pieces around the rest of the museum. We enjoyed the Make Shop, even if it wasn't Mr. Rogers!

Gillian and I used old plastic bags, melted with an iron, to make a scene of a fish pond, tree, and sun!



Meanwhile, the boys were playing with circuits. For a long time.



Next up were the kids' favorite exhibits. Colin is crazy for the "crooked floor" and attached slide! He loved to climb up the stairs, across the tilted floor, and down the slide. About 17 times.


Gillian loved this kaleidescope thingy-ma-jig. It was a turn table, scraps of fabric, a camera, and a projector. So you could arrange various colors and patterns of fabric on the table, spin the table, and watch the kaleidescope change on the wall in front of you. We played for a very long time!




I will admit, I highly enjoyed the kaleidescope too! Although, I really didn't get a turn to do it MY WAY!

Then we were off to the "Garage" section of the museum. Mr. Roger's trolley was there, some parachute making/flying machines, car tracks, and a large, ceiling high Rube Goldberg contraption.

Colin driving the trolley and watch the Rube Goldberg balls roll around the ceiling.



Another piece of the Mr. Roger's set...the traffic light. Colin remembered this from our first visit and talked about wanting to find it and use it when he found out when we were going to visit again!



Gillian and I spent some time building a parachute.


Then we took a lunch break. The museum was CRAZY busy that day (lots of people off between holidays, I think), so we snuck down to the "field trip" lunch room where it was relatively quiet for a break. The kids ate like they were half-starved, so their morning must have been fun!

After lunch we hit the top floor with the water play area. The camera stayed tucked safely away in Daddy's backpack. As always though, the kiddos enjoyed the water. We even spent a bit of time learning how the model lock works.

After some dry clothes, we hit up the "nursery" area. I think it's really meant for slightly younger kids, but C&G still enjoyed it.

Giant light bright!




Giant bird seed bin!


And a giant alligator to eat Uncle D!




We had had about enough by this point. So, we hit the kids' favorite spots one last time (the crooked floor and the kaleidescope) and gathered our art work, then hit the road! We had so much fun and were so glad to have Uncle D with us! And look at us on the way home:


Hmmm, we seem to have lost someone.....