Surprising Field Trips (a.k.a.- you can lead a child to water, but you can’t make him impressed)
In keeping with suggestions from online parenting guides, and PBS, and articles in the weekend paper, and even blurbs on the sides of cereal boxes, I decided to do something fun and educational with my son. We take ‘field trips’ together.
We got in the car and went down to the National Mall. My son loves cars… and trucks… and planes… and rockets, really any mode of transportation. So I’m thinking, ‘What could be better than The Air and Space Museum?’ Nothing… or so I thought.
I don’t know when you last parked down at the Mall, but parking is surprisingly easy. They added parking all along the service road that borders the Mall, the entire length of it. And if you want to take Metro- you’ve got the stop right there.
I pulled into a space only about a block away from The Air and Space Museum. No meters and ‘rock star parking’…cool! We walked across the little service road to the sidewalk and immediately saw a beautiful fountain in front of the National Museum of the American Indian. It had many levels and an edge big enough for a child to walk along. He loved it (at this point I knew, maybe he’s not going to be as excited as I thought to see Wilbur and Orville Wright’s plane).
I finally coaxed him away from the super cool climbing fountain and we went into the Air and Space Museum. As you all know – it is gigantic. All the rockets were great. All the planes were great. Everything was great, but it’s almost overload for kids…
We walked around a little more. I think we stayed a little over an hour and that included a trip to the Air and Space Museum McDonald’s. The happy meal toy was a NASA rocket – nice touch McDonald’s and NASA.
We then started to leave; he told me he was ready to go. But wait, he was so impressed with the purse/bag x-ray machine that the guards showed him how it worked.
We made another stop at the fountain, crossed the street and my son yelled, “Mommy, look!” It was literally a bus and truck put together, I’m sure to haul artifacts around the Smithsonian. I believe it was a government vehicle.
“It’s a… BusTruck! I’ve never seen one of those before!” And he just stared.
When my husband got home from work and asked what we had seen and learned on our ‘field trip’ my son immediately started in with a description of the BusTruck…
no planes, no rockets…
the BusTruck.
So once again, I tried to give my son an educational experience, and he gave me the education.
…But he’s a fun teacher!
* I originally wrote this post for DC Metro Moms.
Have a SleepOver at The National Museum of Natural History!
Did You know that you can actually have a sleepover at the Museum of Natural History with your kids?!
You Can! The First One is this Friday!
Go to Smithsonian Sleepovers for ALL the information!
The Smithsonian Sleepovers will be
July 9,
July 31 and
Aug. 7 beginning at 7 p.m. and ending at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. Kids will experience the museum in a whole new way, discovering museum highlights during a guided tour, participating in scavenger hunts, watching an Imax film screening of Galapagos 3D and sleeping among the dinosaurs and a giant squid.
Ticket prices for the sleepovers are $125 for general admission and $115 for Resident Associate members. For groups of 20 people or more, there is a special reduced rate of $95. The price includes an evening snack, light breakfast, Imax film screening, T-shirt, scavenger hunt, arts and crafts activities, guided tour and exclusive access and activity in a special exhibit.
Children ages 8 to 12 may participate. There must be at least one adult for every three children in any group that registers. Chaperones must be 21 years or older. No adults without children. All participants must pre-register by calling The Smithsonian Associates at (202) 633-3030.
AGAIN, For more information and a schedule of events,
Visit Smithsonian Sleepovers!
What a great idea!
Visit The ‘Other’ Cherry Blossoms Around DC!
Don’t want to fight the crowds down at the Tidal Basin?…
It’s really not that bad- as I wrote last year (parking is easy- at least during the week).
But lugging kids around can be cumbersome… so –
There is ANOTHER, GREAT ALTERNATIVE!
Go see GORGEOUS CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN BLOOM in Kenwood!
The entire neighborhood is covered and lined with Cherry Blossoms… everywhere!
They even create a canopy of blossoms over the street- it’s super cool,
and quite lovely (I love the word ‘lovely’… How was your day? ‘Lovely, Thanks.’)
Get on Little Falls Parkway, and Turn into Kenwood at Dorset Ave. There is a ‘Kenwood’ Sign.
You can even walk the Capital Cresent Trail- it goes right through Kenwood!
It’s a nice little field trip-
Enjoy!
Take The Trolley! A Little Field Trip
Do you want a little ‘Field Trip’… that’s EASY?
Take a ride on the Bethesda Trolley!
The ‘Bethesda Circulator’ goes all through Bethesda and the route takes about 30 minutes-
best of all- it’s FREE!
You can catch it anywhere you see a ‘Bethesda Circulator’ sign,
a good place to start is the Barnes and Noble Fountain on the corner of Bethesda Ave. and Woodmont.
There’s parking right there and you can get a great snow cone to finish your trolley ride on that corner too!
Enjoy!
-
I Was In The 2012 Show !
Check Out …
-
Nicole’s Book
Design Credit:
