Museum of Life and Science

Yesterday afternoon I sneaked out with the 4 older children while Timmy was napping (Tim was studying) and headed over to a museum that has been on my to-do list all year. Afterwards I so wished that I had insisted we had gone earlier than 2 weeks before we move so we could return again and again. The admission fee is pretty steep, requiring almost $50 for our family to just walk in the door, but on Wednesday afternoons with just a copy of our water bill we were able to enjoy all the exhibits for a minimal donation. The main building is sort of a hodge-podge of science and learning such as a mock-up of the lunar lander right next to a collection of animal skulls and an enormous leaf-cutter ant farm.

A walk past the crowded playground led us to a tiny barnyard and the bug building - a collection of gigantic cockroaches and millipedes, microscopes to see live beetles and fruit flies, and a tropical conservatory with dozen of butterflies flitting from branch to eager outstretched hands. Another 1/4 mile walk led to the wind exhibits which made Will and Mary gasp in their eagerness to try out the remote controlled 2' long sailboats.

It was a long wait to get a turn but everyone got a chance to steer and trim the sails.

When we finally pulled into the driveway 4 hours later all the members of my crew were hot, tired, and thirsty. They had such a nice time that I might finagle a way to go back next week and see if we can get a ride on the tiny steam engine as well as play ram your sister's boat at the pond.