Natural Curiosity Museum
This sweet boy asked me to go with him on his field trip, and we had a blast together. I packed our lunches and he was very concerned that we get to school on time today (we are usually!). There was time to spare as his teacher reviewed the field trip rules and got everyone put into groups. F and I got to sit across the aisle from each other on the bus, he sat next to his best friends, and I got to meet his classmates. Many of them knew me already as “Fletcher’s Mom,” which is really growing on me. We’ve taken our kids to the Natural Curiosity museum at Thanksgiving Point pre-pandemic, and the changes are positive! I was able to chaperone a small group in F’s class as we explored through the different areas.
The Rainforest had a giant jungle gym with multiple levels of rope bridges and parts to climb. Travel the World was an interactive area highlighting India and what the home life, markets, school, Bollywood, sports, and culture are like. I loved the meals prepared in the kitchen, and the many colorful fabrics kids could try in the market. Water Works had a bit more science; the kids’ favorite part was a wind chamber where they stood having the force of an 8mph wind blowing them away. Kidopolis was such a fun city made for kids with health centers, dance and art and music studios, a magic shop, a puppet theater, a laundromat, a library, a bank filled with fake money, a garden for toddlers, and other community areas to play in. Even the outdoor playground had some cool equipment including a zip line.
F’s favorite part was the music studio playing and recording different instrument parts and combining them together.
Field trips are becoming my new favorite thing as a Mom. I get to observe my kids individually “in the wild” amongst their peers. I learned my son F is amazing at hanging completely on to a vine like a sloth in the jungle and he beat the record of all our group for the longest time. I learned that he doesn’t like the nuts I pack in his lunches, so more for me! I noticed that siting together eating lunch, the close friends from class he chose to be with feel like they all found each other and became the Mexican group haha. They like to draw together and talk animatedly with hand gestures about Pokémon while riding the bus. They like to be funny when posing for photos, like pretending a giant suitcase they’re laying in is a coffin. I found that my son still enjoys dancing with me, and I’m going to hold on to that as long as I can! We tried a line dance and hip hop routine in Kidtopia with his BFF which was fun! Although F doesn’t like to sit still while waiting, he will strike a yoga pose in public outside and many of his peers will follow suit just to see if they can do it, too. I’m not sure why his ideas seem like good ones to other kids. Girls still have cooties but he still tries to be nice—but not nice enough to attract attention; it’s a fine line. I learned that he still likes having me around even if he gets embarrassed over things neither of us can remember at this point. All I know is I had a great time reading a novel on the bus on the way back, I had a wonderful time today hanging with my Fletcher, and I love that kid so so much.
I’d love to bring the rest of the family back here if the price was right and traffic was low.
Love, Kat
