For the past few months or so, Connor has been most interested in two things: a) Going to a museum & b) getting a telescope. On one rainy, soggy Sunday we pack up the heathens & head out to a local museum. Watching Connor in the back seat before we got there was almost worth the whole experience. He just couldn't contain himself.
We get to the museum, we pick up a scavenger hunt worksheet for Connor. I know that this is the only way we'll get him to last more than 10 minutes in this place. The thing with him is that I thought he was mesmerized by the idea of the museum - not what the museum actually has to offer. He wasn't all that excited by staying at any one exhibit for more than 2 seconds, but the scavenger hunt gave him a reason to atleast look at everything. He did well with finding what he needed for his paper, he took it all in. Connor-style. As excited he was by the whole experience, nothing could compete with the museum gift shop. After what we thought was adequate soaking-up of all things educational, we head into the gift shop.
Within two minutes, Connor sets his sights on a blue telescope. Ravioli & I were hesitant to give in to this as it was a planned gift from Santa. We couldn't tell Connor that. The damn thing was only $20, so of course, we caved. We left there with the telescope. Now, it being said that this telescope was only $20, it isn't of great quality & as Connor was trying to get acquainted with it, he broke the plastic knob on it within 5 minutes. But he was not to be stopped in his pursuit of gazing at the stars.....
A few hours after we get home from the museum, I'm heading up the steps and I happen to glance into Connor's room. There on his train table, is a cleared off corner. And in that cleared off corner is his telescope. Facing out his bedroom window, with the curtain pulled off to the side. I smile & thought to myself, "awww, Ravioli & Connor did a nice job setting that up." I head into our bedroom where Ravioli is relaxing on our bed & I ask him about the telescope. He says, "Connor did that all on his own. After he opened up the box, he turned to me and said, 'Dad, I'm going to set this up.' So, he took it upstairs and did that himself." I swear, just when I think my heart can't explode one more time out of love and joy for my children, they find yet another way for it to swell-up, melt a little and then implode all in on itself. I complain about these kids more than I should, but little things like that pick me up & carry me through.
We get to the museum, we pick up a scavenger hunt worksheet for Connor. I know that this is the only way we'll get him to last more than 10 minutes in this place. The thing with him is that I thought he was mesmerized by the idea of the museum - not what the museum actually has to offer. He wasn't all that excited by staying at any one exhibit for more than 2 seconds, but the scavenger hunt gave him a reason to atleast look at everything. He did well with finding what he needed for his paper, he took it all in. Connor-style. As excited he was by the whole experience, nothing could compete with the museum gift shop. After what we thought was adequate soaking-up of all things educational, we head into the gift shop.
Within two minutes, Connor sets his sights on a blue telescope. Ravioli & I were hesitant to give in to this as it was a planned gift from Santa. We couldn't tell Connor that. The damn thing was only $20, so of course, we caved. We left there with the telescope. Now, it being said that this telescope was only $20, it isn't of great quality & as Connor was trying to get acquainted with it, he broke the plastic knob on it within 5 minutes. But he was not to be stopped in his pursuit of gazing at the stars.....
A few hours after we get home from the museum, I'm heading up the steps and I happen to glance into Connor's room. There on his train table, is a cleared off corner. And in that cleared off corner is his telescope. Facing out his bedroom window, with the curtain pulled off to the side. I smile & thought to myself, "awww, Ravioli & Connor did a nice job setting that up." I head into our bedroom where Ravioli is relaxing on our bed & I ask him about the telescope. He says, "Connor did that all on his own. After he opened up the box, he turned to me and said, 'Dad, I'm going to set this up.' So, he took it upstairs and did that himself." I swear, just when I think my heart can't explode one more time out of love and joy for my children, they find yet another way for it to swell-up, melt a little and then implode all in on itself. I complain about these kids more than I should, but little things like that pick me up & carry me through.
5 ripples in the pond:
Oh, I know what you mean! Those moment when you want to burst into tears and scoop them up and squeeze them till they pop! My Boy doesn't allow me to do this much anymore so I have to make 'em good when I can grab 'em!
My Boy is fascinated with space too! We got him this National Geographic "planetarium" thing for Christmas last year. It was like a slide projector that projected stuff on the ceiling. Kind of cool, but the pieces were either broken or lost within like a week.
This year I'm looking for some kind of solar system mobile to hang from his bedroom ceiling. I think I saw a few on gifts.com.
If I may ask, which museum did you go to? Was it any good?
We went to the Science Museum out in St. Louis back in June and My Boy LOVED it! It was really cool. But rather far away. If I think of it, I'll have to post a pic of My Boy next to one of the rockets at the museum.
Okay, off to the Christmas Tree store. Now that it's December I will allow myself to start Christmas prep.
"Squeeze them until they pop!" YES, YES - exactly!!
The museum was the Delaware Natural History Museum. It is okay - the thing about it is that the same exhibits are still there that were there when I was a kid.....but I guess that's the point of a museum, huh?? They had a neat dinosaur/fossil exhibit. They also have a cool kids room where they can touch things.
I'm thinking about trying to find a planetarium & also taking the kids to an aquarium, because I think they would enjoy that a lot more....Although, Connor still talks about going to the museum - and going back. So I guess he really did enjoy it.
Have fun with your Christmas prep!!
Offer still stands if you'd like to bring the Connor-man and Graciegoo down to visit me in the Baltimore Aquarium sometime :) Give me some notice, and I might be able to arrange to do a dive that day, too, even if it's not my normal Monday. Of course then you might have to deal w/ Connor having a new profession he's aspiring to . . .
I'm always surprised that The Mayor and Rooster can do much, much more than I imagine they can.
that is the most perfect thing ever.
i love watching them get so interested in things, especially magical things like, well...SPACE.
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