Franklyn Institute and Academy of Natural Sciences

Lunch - After we finished the second floor it was time for lunch so we headed for foodworks.  It was okay museum food, I had a pre-made sandwich which was pretty good, well for a pre-made sandwich.  I'm sure that there are better restaurants in the are but this was convenient.

After lunch we moved on to the first floor where the Kid Science, Space Command, and The Train Factory were.  Kid science was a lot of fun.  It's like a children's museum without the ciaos.    The Kids area had a nautical theme and Tavish really liked playing on the boat.

The train area was okay and maybe it would be better if the train had been moving.  There is a real train which people can go on but for some reason it was not working (I'm not sure how the train moves but apparently it does).

To round off the first floor was Space Command.  I must say that this space area was not overly memorable. Tavish and this other boy did have a great time sending marbles into orbit.

To wrap up the Franklyn Institute we headed to the third floor to Sports Challenge.  This exhibit is very similar to the one at the Science Center in Toronto.  Regardless it was a lot of fun.  I had a great time surfing and climbing oh and so did Tavish.

Figure Skating - Spin Spin Spin

Surfs Up

On Belay

Overall the Franklyn Institite is a MUST see in Philly.  I can't wait to go back.  That cannot be said for the Academy of Natural Science, it was BORING.  The dinosaurs were okay but the rest of the museum was lame.  I would not suggest going to this museum unless you buy the City Pass and have time to kill.

National Museum of the American Indian

My husband and I have been making a list of stuff we want to do in the D.C. area before we move (that is if we move, we'll be here for sure until May 2012 but after that who knows).  It seams like we keep on doing the same things over and over again and it's not that they aren't great things it's just there is so much to see and do we might as well see it all.  The first thing we did on our To Do List was the National Museum of the American Indian.  I must say I was quite surprised how interesting and kid friendly this museum was.  Both my husband and I thought the museum was about US American Indians but were were pleasantly surprised to find out it was about Native Peoples of the Americans not just the United States.

All of the exhibits were really well done.  The 3 main permanent exhibits are: Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World, Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories, and Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identities are all very interesting and give insights into Native life.  The best part of these exhibits is that the museum recruited curators from the different tribes and bands so the depictions of these People are told from their own perspective.

There were lots of hands on activities and movies for Tavish to play with so I'm sure he enjoyed himself.  Callen slept though most of exhibits so I'm not sure he got much out of it.  One of the highlights of the museum is its fantastic restaurant. Unlike the American History Museum which has terrible food and the Air and Space Museum which has McDonalds, the American Indian Museum has themed food.  The food court is split into different areas each which showcases traditional Native foods (there are hamburgers and chicken fingers for the picky eaters).  Even if your not planning on checking out the museum, it's a great place for lunch if you are in the area.

In the world of D.C. museums this is a great one to go see if you have time or are very interested in Native People.  I would recommend the American History (but not for lunch), Natural History, and Air and Space Museums over this one.  But if you have the time I'd would check it out, especially if they have an interesting live demonstration on, which they usually do (we missed out on the chocolate festival they were having a few weeks ago and I 'm kinda sad about that).

 "Cheese"

Kyle with his hands full, admiring a snow machine 

 Tavish taking a boat for a ride

 Tavish love the Rainbow

 Statue of an American Indian

 Tavish having fun walking on the wall outside the musuem

 Now time to rock climb (that's my boy)

Callen not too sure about what his brother is doing

Natural History Museum

While the older boys (my dad, my husband, and Tavish) were off at the Monster Trucks, my mom, Callen and I headed to the Natural History Museum.  Now a few of you may recall that my last trip here was a huge disaster but I knew my mom would like to see it so I decided to brave it again (this time Adults out numbered kids).  Thankfully the security guard from hell was not working so things were already off to a better start.  There were two really interesting exhibits that caught my attention this trip.  The first was the crocheted coral reef.  I kinda wished I spent more time looking at it as it is quite remarkable.  It's amazing what people can do with some yarn, a crochet hook and inspiration from some of the most beautiful creatures on earth.

The second was the the Written in Bone exhibit.  During the last part of my pregnancy I discovered a new favorite show, Bones, and the Written in Bone exhibit reminds me a lot about that show.  I must go back when I have more time to really explore this exhibit as it is quite fascinating.

My mom and I sped through the museum and looked a few of the other exhibits but I'm sure we say not even half of what was there.  I'm pretty sure I could spend a few days exploring the Natural History Museum and I'm looking forward to checking out a few of their IMAX shows.  I'm sure I'll get back in the next few weeks.

The Natural History Museum is a must see in D.C. and a GREAT place to bring kids (providing they are not super grumpy).  The museum is quite loud so don't have to worry about loud toddlers disturbing anyone.  Kids of all ages will find something they like from dinosaurs to butterflies and they even have a discovery room for older kids.  I highly recommend going when it opens at 10am because it gets really busy, even in the off season.  If you are a local then I'd avoid it in June when school tours take over D.C. and I'm sure it's pretty busy in the summer too.  My husband and I HATE crowds so we are all about getting seeing things in the off season but if this is your only trip to D.C. I'd brave the crowds.

 My mom by the stunning Orchid Garden

 One of the Orchids

 Giraffe doing the splits in the Hall of Mammals

One of my favorite areas, the Deep Sea