Columbus, Indiana

Because Snugglebug missed out on a field trip to Kids Commons in Columbus, Indiana, I decided to take both the girls myself.  It was a bit of a trip without another adult to talk with, but I couldn't think of anyone else who would be free to go that day, so anyways....

This is the main attraction.  A giant toilet that has a slide below.  The idea is to show the inner workings of a house, including insulation, and more.  They had a heat camera in one room that told you to rub your shirt so you can see the heat.  I won't tell you exactly where I rubbed, but I later found out people could have easily been watching on a screen located on the floor below.  Can we say embarrassing? ?

Below is a sliding portion of a wall that I thought would be so neat to put in a real house.  If we EVER get to move, that is. 

Bubble center.  Snugglebug became an expert bubble-blower, including creating a bubble that encased her entire body. 

Here is Snugglebug-Polar Bear.  She growled at everyone who tried to enter, including complete strangers.  Who said I needed a guard dog?

There was a cute campy scene for the girls to play.

And there was a Japanese house in which you could not wear shoes.  Very cute. 

 Before we went to Kids Commons, we stopped at a really neat soda/ice cream parlor a few stores down, Zaharakos

The girls were even enthused over the ladies' room tiles.  The food was a little pricey, but overall good quality.  Their cups of fruit really contained a huge assortment.  Their straws were made of paper, so it took a little getting used to, and the organ would play every now and then, making us feel like we were riding a carousel.  We filled up on lunch, but we went back a few hours later for ice cream.  MMmmmm...the strawberry milkshake was really good!

Wonderlab in Bloomington, Indiana

Back in April, Lovely's teacher used a Target grant to take the class to Wonderlab in Bloomington.  It is a pretty cool science museum for younger kids, complete with a 2-story climbing vine for the kids to crawl up.  There were bubbles to form, water to splash, water critters to observe, heat to understand, and demonstrations by Wonderlab staff to help kids understand solids vs. liquids. 

The water station was pretty cool as the plastic balls popped up through a water machine as the kids played. 

Below is Lovely's impression in one of those push-the-plastic sticks-to-form-a-design-thing.  (Don't you love my creative name for it?)

 

If it wasn't for the 2 hr drive, I would love to go back...but 2 hrs there & 2 hrs back...You really need to have other things to do there and make it a couple-day trip. 

So where will you be traveling this summer?

Review: Louisville Nature Center

I went on another field trip with Lovely last week, to the Louisville Nature Center.  I didn't even know it exhisted, but sure enough, it's located right around the corner from the Louisville Zoo.

The class was divided into four groups that took turns hiking a shortened version of a trail, meeting insects, and playing peeping toms with birds.  Here's one of the many critters that I didn't touch:

I learned millipedes are OK to touch, but stay away from those nasty biting centipedes...someone better restrain me...NOTE:  the hands above are the guide's hands.  I didn't want the millipede to "get nervous" on me.

Below is Lovely playing with her pet snail.  For some reason, it looked like it was breaking free from its shell just to get closer to her--maybe she smelled good...or bad...

After the critters, we snuck up on the birds and learned about cardinals (what the guide referred to as our state bird, but she meant Kentucky's state bird--good thing both states have the same state bird--talk about copycapts!), nut hatches, blue jays, chipmunks, finches, and a lot more...

Last, we went hiking.  Honestly, I was glad it was the shortened version of the trail.  We ventured through the mud and muck, but I didn't mind too much--I wore my old tennies.  Anyone visiting can hike in the 41-acre Bear Creek State Nature Preserve.  They only have 2+ miles of hiking trails, but it is pretty hiking.  They also offer other education programs, party/event room rental, and summer camps with camp scholarships. 

Considering the drive (I live a bit far to visit too often), I probably won't be back anytime soon, but if you are in the area, it's a nice place to check out!

Kaboom!

Today was Field Trip Day.  I had reserved seats to see Doctor Kaboom! back when I still had plans of homeschooling, but since Snugglebug is only in Pre-K two days a week, I still had an excuse to go...

I say an excuse because I became enamored with Doctor Kaboom! during a Renaissance Festival a couple years ago.  Then, I found out he was coming to IUS....FREE! So, I of course reserved seats for myself and my nephews (who were at the time homeschooling).  Sure enough, he came back again this year, so I booked seats for myself, Snugglebug, and my best buddy & her kids...Thus, I have proved his theory that videos of him would discourage people from actually coming to his show--I've seen him three times, and I'm still willing to go back!

Here is Doctor Kaboom! testing his theory that catapults were not originally weapons of war...they were built to feed the masses of people cheaply :)

Here he is demonstrating the air cannon...pretty cool for a garbage can and a shower curtain!

Knocking a cup off of the little girl's head...with the air cannon.

This next picture seems kind of random, but I'm trying to play catch-up since my computer arrived this morning...

These were my purchases at Zappo's outlet store--my new favorite shoe store.  Actually, I put the blue ones, the black flats, and the brown heels back...reluctantly...very, very reluctantly.  I then purchased two prs for each of the girls and my receipts said I saved over $393!  --That makes what I did spend a LITTLE more reasonable! 

Here's what I'm reading this week.  I found out my culminating project prospectus is due June 3, so I'm hoping to get this finished quickly...even though it is wonderful to read slowly!  I loved the enchanting movie and the play, but this is the first time I've read the book.  Just look at that cover!  So warm and inviting--even with a toad in hand!

So what are you reading this week?