Museum Visit

Em, Maddie and I traveled to downtown Raleigh today to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Em calls it "The Dinosaur Museum". It's one of her favorite haunts and she'd been asking for weeks if we could make a trip. It's interesting how the dynamics of field trips are different when it's a trip with friends versus a trip with just our family. Today, Em was drawn to the snake exhibit as never before. She spent about 10 minutes photographing the various animals on display and then we spent a good bit of time reading all of the signs and explanatory boards that were available. I don't think Em has ever done that before. One item of snake lore that really intrigued us both was the difference in pupil shape between the various snake species. Did you know that most of the venomous snake species of North Carolina have vertical slit pupils while the non-venomous snakes have round pupils? The next time you're eye to eye with a snake and can't tell whether it's a venomous copperhead or an innocent little water snake, this tip should help you out ;-)

After the inevitable visit to the Acro Cafe for some sugary treats, we usually head to the Discovery Room. One of the things we love about the Discovery Room is that as you enter, you are explicitly instructed that EVERYTHING is meant to be touched. They had a fabulous Luna Moth costume in the dressup area that Em was quite smitten with. Now that would make a fabulous Halloween costume!


Maddie was reaching the end of her rope by the time we had explored for a few hours so I was quite relieved to find the huge padded rocking chair in the Discovery Room available and waiting for us. While Em tried on various costumes, Maddie and I snuggled and nursed and the little one soon dropped off to sleep. Em joined us in the toddler area corner and read books aloud to Maddie and me while Maddie took her power nap. It always tickles me just how happy Maddie is upon waking. She's full of grins and giggles and an absolute delight to be around once she's had a chance to recharge her batteries.

A lovely, low stress visit for me and my girls!