The Morton Arboretum

 

We took an unplanned family daytrip on Thursday to Lisle, IL to an AHHHH-MAZING place, The Morton Arboretum!  Their website does it NO justice!  When I was reading some info about the gardens and what it has to offer its visitors, I knew my husband really had very little interest in going, but he said we could “give it a try;” his famous words when he is only going to keep me happy.  (HA!)  I figured the worst thing that could happen would be spending the day outdoors in gorgeous Spring-like weather (finally) as a family of 3.5.  (Our newest sailor makes his appearance in just about 6 weeks- Eek!) 

We were pleasantly surprised when paying at the gate that with my husband’s active duty military ID card both of us received free admission- bonus!  (Our little sailor was free since he is under 2.)  I knew the arboretum was well over a thousand acres, but what I didn’t realize was what it offered for children.  The “Children’s Garden” is absolutely incredible!  In fact, we spent more than 3 hours in just HALF of this area!  Our son went wild in the Sound Garden, playing with the old-fashioned water pumps, exploring the in the Frog Fountain, and so much more!  We had no idea how large the children’s garden was until we were ready to hit the road, loaded up little guy in the wagon and walked through the remaining children’s spot.  There are play areas to climb, run, jump, slide, and simply be a kid among the beauty of plants, trees, water, insects, and anything else part of the natural world!  The toddler garden maze is simply just the cutest activity, but of course our little adventurer was more interested in the large garden maze and getting lost among the tall bushes and shrubs giggling away as he ran along the dirt paths.  While we were following our 16 month old maze guide, we were discussing how taken aback we were with this landmark.  At one point my husband actually made the comment that if we weren’t a good 45 minute drive away we would visit each weekend!  The day of learning, discovery, and enjoyment we had together was truly one we will never forget and hope to recreate again in the near future! 

 

 

 

14 month old Pablo Picasso

 

This post is a little late; I have been meaning to write it, but something else always popped up first.  Anyway, a few weeks ago, my son and I had the privilege of visiting "Make a Messterpiece" in Glenview for a day of creativity, painting, bubbles, cooking and appreciating art in different forms.  I really wish he wouldn't have fallen asleep 2 minutes before we parked because he had a blast and we certainly could have stayed longer, but I could see the need for sleep twinkling in his eyes after 2 hours.  If you have the opportunity to visit "Make a Messterpiece" GO!

We explored the art center with the messiest package, meaning we had access to all of the activities.  Learn more about it here:  Make a Messterpiece

 

 

Some of the activities were geared towards older children, 3-4 years old and up, but that didn’t stop our little guy from participating!  The first activity we visited was a mini cooking class where he learned about plants and what they need in order to grow while making his own dirt pudding.  He got a kick out of crushing the graham crackers!  From there we moved onto the Science experiment.  My girlfriends jokingly say that all my years teaching 3^rd and 5^th grade Science have turned me into a female Bill Nye so initially I may have been a little more excited for this activity than he was, but in the end I think there was equal enthusiasm!  Maybe I have a future scientist on my hands?!  The young girl conducting the experiment was energetic and patient while the little learners explored what an oil spill would do to a bird’s feathers and how to clean them.  Our little scientist just didn’t want to stop!  In between the scheduled activities we visited the bubble machines to make bubble art.  This was really neat, but I was disappointed so many of the shorter bubble stations were out of order.  Our little guy LOVES bubbles (we currently have 15+ bottles of bubbles in our home!) and watching them pop on his paper to make artwork was exciting to him, but it was difficult to get a variety of colors because of the machines not working.  This was a bummer!

 

The open art area- easels, painting at the table, creation station (recycled materials), and play-doh were the biggest hit with him!  In fact, it has prompted us to order an easel for our home!  He was so content and focused when painting at the table and easel.  It was darling to see our Pablo Picasso in the making hard-at-work!  We spent so much time in this area we never made it to the play area.  There was also a room called “Drum Roll.”  I am not sure what takes place here because during our visit there were older kids playing in there and I didn’t want to put a damper on their fun by bringing our munchkin in there. 

 

   

 

Overall, we had a fantastic day of painting and getting messy!  If you take a trip there, make sure you were clothing that can get messy without a fuss!   

A bonus to military families: they offer a military discount! 

 

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Military Discounts at Amusement Parks

We are not huge amusement park goers, but I am confident that once our little guys are older we will be making a few visits.  I know from past experiences how expensive it was just for my husband and me to visit a park or two and I am dreading the cost of a family for four visiting.  We will definitely start a travel savings plan prior to our visit. 

It may drive my husband batty at times, but I would say 99.9% of the time we go anywhere whether it is shopping, out eat, traveling, etc. I ask if they offer a military discount.  Sometimes it just pays the tax, but that is extra money we are saving so I am definitely not complaining! 

I recently came across this list of military discounts offered at several different parks in a Facebook group I am part of for military spouses and I thought I would pass it along to you! 

http://www.military.com/discounts/the-best-amusement-park-military-discounts.html

Information on the "Waves of Honor" program as well:  http://www.wavesofhonor.com/

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FREE Annual Passes for US National Parks

From Operation Homefront, "If you're looking forward to warm weather and are already making plans to visit the great outdoors, check out FREE annual passes to National Parks for active duty military and families." 

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm

I don't know about you, but we are ready for warm weather and sunshine!  In fact, I told my husband when we PCS, I wouldn't mind taking orders to the middle of a dessert for a few years.  I love winter and everything that comes with it, but this has been one...long...winter.  We didn't take advantage of this benefit last summer since it was our first time being a family of 3, but this year, despite expecting another little sailor, we will be getting a pass and utilizing it when we can. 

What a fabulous way to discover history and explore nature with your kiddos!  Parks are hidden gems; they have so many learning opportunities within them.  The learning is endless; from Science to Math to Social Studies to Language Arts to Technology. If you're planning a visit to one of the US National Parks in the future make sure you stop by their website and download visitor guides, kids' activities, etc.  Kids can even become a "Web Ranger!" 

Enjoy and happy traveling! 

Stay up-to-date with Operation Homefront and their services at http://www.operationhomefront.net/

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A Day in the Gardens

Last week was the first day in months that I can remember being outdoors without having to bundle up like I was in the middle of the frigid Arctic, so we skipped an indoor play-date at the children's museum and headed over to the Chicago Botanic Garden.  What a great choice!  My little sailor and I took advantage of the outdoor paths despite the melting snow and muddy trek and walked a little over 2 miles breathing in the fresh, cool air while the orchid show was taking place indoors.  I wrestled with the idea of letting him stroll through the indoor color display since I wasn't sure if this was "an appropriate practice for a mom of a 13 month old," but I figured, "What the heck?!  Learning should be through real-life, real-world exploration and we are going to do just that!"  We were off to purchase our orchid show tickets!

Now, let me first say that we were there in the middle of a school-day so there weren't too many children there.  I think I saw 5-6 littles running around with their mommies besides my little guy and me.  I think 90% of the visitors that day were well over 55 years old. 

After purchasing our tickets, we were off to learn about colors, our senses, textures, flowers, etc. leaving the stroller at the entrance of the exhibit.  My anxiety level was rising thinking about how quickly my eager little boy moves when he discovers new things along the delicate flowers and displays before us; not a good combination, but we were going to make this a positive learning day! 

As we started walking through the colorful array of orchids, I could feel the disapproving looks from numerous elderly women.  Now I am typically a very out-spoken, matter-of-fact person, but today I decided I would let our actions speak louder than words.

My husband and I have been working with our son on the concept of "gentle touches" with our hands, so as I observed him gently touch leaves, brickwork, benches, etc. around him I was simply awe-struck that our little explorer was taking in his surroundings just as we have been modeling for him at home without me intervening.  Of course, as any mother would, I was beaming with pride on the inside, but as I glanced away from my little guy for a split second, there, before us, stood an older woman who clearly was not pleased with my decision to teach my son about natural beauty as she shook her head in disbelief at us.  I smiled gently at her and continued to point out the different colors to my eager learner, but I started doubting my decision until an elderly man passing by says, "that there is a picture-quality."  Why yes, yes it is, sir and thank you for validating my parental decision today!   

 

 

Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden http://www.chicagobotanic.org/

As an added bonus, the gardens are free, you pay for parking.  Military members and families can show their ID for FREE parking. 

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