Visiting with the Grandparents

November 10, 2016 by Laura Myers in museum visit

Last week we had a lovely visit with my parents. The kids love having their grandparents in town. Granddad and Grandmommy dropped the Goose off at the bus stop, chatted with Pie first thing in the morning, and joined us for family meals and outings. As often happens when family come to town, we went to a museum - the Carnegie Science Center to be precise. And just like our visits to Phipps, when Pie and I go to the CSC, we follow a fairly set routine.

We start at SportsWorks, so Pie can jump on the Bounce! trampoline and become a human yo-yo on the You-Yo. She tries out the climbing wall and gets some extra energy out by running around. We don't talk too much about the science of sports or physics. This is her time to be physical, but it is also her time to practice talking to other grown-ups. The staff manning the trampoline ask her questions and encourage her to jump higher or try a flip. At the climbing wall, she talks with staff about which route she'd like to try and when she is ready to come down. As a parent, I take a step back and let her practice these important communication skills. This work of learning how to talk to others is important too.

But on this trip, Pie had her grandparents to keep her company and so she wanted to show them more of the CSC. I took a step back here too, so that she could share with them what she usually shares with me.

Heading onto the USS Requin - the submarine

We had a fun time exploring together. Pie got to show off a place she knows so well - she got to be the expert and the tour guide. And she shared our routine with them. After SportsWorks, we went to the main building and explored the exhibits up and down the ramp. Then, lunchtime! I hadn't packed a lunch this time, so Pie had the added excitement of picking her lunch. Eating at the museum is definitely part of our routine. After lunch we checked out the USS Requin. Going out to the submarine is not always something we do, but Pie wanted to take her grandparents to see it. Of course, her pace through the sub is a little faster than your average visitor's. She charged full-speed ahead through the long corridor, barely stopping to check out the sleeping quarters and the dining hall. Perhaps her grandparents would have liked more time to read some of the signage or talk to the staff on-board, but they are doting grandparents and didn't complain one bit.

It was a full visit, and, as often happens after such trips, we then went home and Pie took a very long nap.

Something different

October 28, 2016 by Laura Myers in museum visit

A few weeks back, I had an especially unusual trip to the museum. For starters, I arrived on my own. With. No. Kids. I can't tell you the last time I went to a museum without kids. And, I wasn't exactly there to explore all that the museum(s) had to offer. I was there to meet my good friend and fantastic photographer, Heather for a photo shoot. You see, I went back through years and years of photographs of our family visiting museums and I discovered something - there really wasn't a good photo of me in the museum anywhere to be found. Now I know I'm not alone in this, but while there were a million photos of the kids and a pretty good collection of photos of my husband and our friends and family who often join us in our trips to museums, I apparently had done a good job of staying out of the pictures. I don't think this was on purpose. I don't think I've ever minded being photographed. But it seems that I am usually the one doing the photographing.

I'm so glad that Heather was free and game to take some photos of me at the Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art. I have to admit that even though I don't mind having my picture taken, I am so not used to having the attention of the camera on me. I made a lot of silly faces. And I shut my eyes at exactly the wrong second a bunch. But I also love the pictures we ended up with.

The best part, though, was exploring the just-opened Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art. If you live in, near, or travel to Pittsburgh, you should see this show before it ends on January 2, 2017.

We started at the end of the exhibit without knowing it, and walked into a hall full of sand. We took off our shoes and socks and wandered through the piece entitled Eden. We walked barefoot though sand, climbed on books and straw and discovered hidden resting places. In an art museum. A place where the signs typically say:

Instead the signs encouraged us to explore the installation.

Sand and water in an art museum? Playing pool in an art museum? I loved it. The idea that such a formal and off-limits space was encouraging us to play and explore in these ways changed the way I experienced not only this exhibition, but also the parts of the museum where I was reminded Please do not touch.

Naturally I brought my family back a few days later.

And, as a mom, you know I think about how sand gets everywhere. Someone always has to clean it up.

Finding Museum Spaces

October 21, 2016 by Laura Myers in museum visit, travel

Well, I only just began this blog, and then I disappeared. I'm back now, and have so many thoughts and draft posts started in my head. But, finding time for writing is trickier. I begin with the best intentions and then get pulled in so many directions; I just can't find my way to the computer.

Last weekend we took a quick family trip to remember the life of the girls' great grandmother. She was a remarkable woman, and we were all so lucky to know her. Spending time with family and talking with those who knew her was comforting and fulfilling.

But to get to the memorial, we had to drive in the car. For a long time. And then the girls felt excited to see family (especially their cousins) and nervous to meet strangers. Schedules were disrupted. We were all a little out of sorts. And so we did what we often do when we travel - we found our way to a museum space. Together we explored a new museum, let off some steam, ran around, and found ourselves just a little more centered when we left.

Our destination was the Boothbay Railway Village on a chilly October morning in Maine.

In addition to the steam train ride, the model railroad, the goats (Coal and Tender), the antique automobiles, and the train cars for playing on, there was also a local craft show with fantastic wood-fired pizza. We lucked out - a museum AND food!

Whenever we travel, we look for museums. If we are visiting family in Maine or Virginia, we know where the local children's museums are, and we can fill in a rainy day with a few hours there. But when we drive, we also keep tabs on where the museums are in case we hit that point in our drive where we need to eat and stretch our legs and get a little energy out. On our many drives from Pittsburgh to Maine, we have often stopped for a few hours at a museum along our route.

It's good for the kids AND the grownups. We eat, we play (sometimes we wait out the traffic) and then we get back in the car ready to do the next leg of the drive. Now here's the real secret. (See how I hid it all the way at the bottom of this post?) We can get in most of these places for free. FREE.

You see, there's this amazing perk of becoming a member at many museums - RECIPROCITY. Museums tend to belong to one or more of the museum associations: ASTC, AZA, ACM.

So when you become a member at your local museum, chances are good that you are also gaining access to museums all over the country. So stopping for an hour or two at a museum can be virtually free.

Want to know how you can do this too? Check out the participant lists below:

Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport Program (usually free general admission for your group as long as you are 90 miles away from the museum where you have your membership)

Association of Children's Museums Reciprocal Network Benefits (50% off admission for up to 6 people)

Association of Zoos and Aquariums Reciprocal Admissions Program (between 50% - 100% off general admission)

First Day

September 09, 2016 by Laura Myers in museum visit

Tuesday was the first day of Third Grade for the Goose. Thursday was the first day of Kindergarten for Pie. Today is the first day of Blogging for Mom.

On Tuesday, Pie and I went to our favorite place: Phipps Conservatory. We visit regularly and and almost always follow the same routine.

Arrive early. Phipps opens at 9:30, woot! This works well for young children who aren't interested in sleeping in.
Stop by the membership desk to check in.
In the winter, drop off our coats in the locker area. We pay the quarter so that Pie can turn the key to lock them up. (But since you don't pay for parking at Phipps, that quarter can be your only expense if you have a membership and you skip lunch there.)
Head up the elevator - because elevators are always the most exciting part of any museum. Someone should open a museum full of elevators. It would be a money-maker.
Show our receipt to the person at the entrance. And, and this is important, get the scavenger hunt/kid paper and one of those little golf pencils. There’s something magical about golf pencils.
Head into the Conservatory, then immediately stop to try to find the scavenger hunt clue.
Eventually start up again, and follow the path around to all the different areas.
Decide halfway through that it is lunch time, so go back downstairs and order the kid's pizza lunch with milk. Always the same.
Head back upstairs to go find the last of our favorite spots.

Pie loves Phipps because they have scavenger hunts, a play farmer’s market, african impatiens, buttons to push, and pizza.

Mom loves Phipps because they have ferns and moss and banana plants and in the middle of winter a trip there feels like summer and a shot of oxygen (I hear there are oxygen bars but I don’t know how that works, plus I’m not very good at keeping plants alive, so it is nice to see some green in winter).

I think we both love Phipps because it offers us a nice and predictable morning out together.