Museum Fun!

In the last three weeks we have visited two different museums. The first museum was the American Museum of Energy and Science. I had never been to this museum and it is an excellent resource in our area! I was motivated to go because it was free on this particular day, and we were able to check it out and decide if it was a place that we would return to! The answer is yes, we will return, but it will probably be a trip that Sean and Beckett will make together as it was a little too in depth for Helen and especially Will. The museum has a whole section about the area where Sean works and it is an great way for him to explain what he does. I tried to explain everything to the kids, but it is way over my head! Atoms and neutrons and protons.....it all starts to run together and I really don't get it! My brain just doesn't think that way! We did however, have fun with the Van de Graff Generator program and watching their hair stand up. Well, Beckett doesn't have much hair to raise, but Helen's sure did! Beckett liked feeling the shocks of the generator too. And if you want to understand the science behind why their hair stands up when they touch this with the positive and negative electron charges, etc., well, you'll just have to ask Sean! I'm so glad that he will be able to help the kids when they take chemistry and physics!

Here is Helen's hair while she was touching the generator!

This section of the museum had all kinds of models of different weapons, protective clothing and tools along with video and hands-on activities demonstrating processes, safety features and careers where Sean works. Beckett was very interested in all of this and I know that he and Sean will enjoy visiting this area when they return. Will just liked climbing on the bombs!

 Will loves cows, so this cow face cut out in the little kid's section was too cute for him!

A week or so later, we went to Brentwood for a day and night to visit Grankaki and Granbob. We got to stop in Lebanon at the chocolate store and redeem the points that they had earned on the Book Adventure web site on candy bars! I have been using this web site since Beckett was in Kindergarten for the kids to take reading comprehension tests. Helen has just started reading well since January and she had earned enough points for a candy bar of her own. You might remember this post from a few years ago when Beckett was in Kindergarten and we stopped here to redeem his points for a candy bar. My how time flies!

We got to Grankaki and Granbob's house and had lunch, then went downtown to the Frist Museum where the kids got to enjoy the ArtQuest area. There were about 30 hands on stations where kids can create prints and collages, paint and sketch, or learn about photography, architecture and the essentials of art including depth, color, light and perspective. They had so much fun that they didn't know they were learning too! Here is a picture of Beckett as he worked on a self portrait.

 Helen painting a picture! Totally in her creative element!

 Will enjoyed being an architect at the block table!

Beckett had fun creating these little movie clips. His videos always involved dinosaurs and people getting thrown around. We got to witness his creative "humor" emerging in his movies!

 Helen rolling paint on her styrofoam carving to make a print!

Helen would have stayed in this ArtQuest area all day if we had the time. She was totally in her element! Love this picture of she and Grankaki as she drew a picture.

 Another architectural masterpiece by Will!

After we walked through the current exhibits at the Frist, we headed downtown for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I hadn't been there since high school and it was a good place for dinner with the kids! Lots of yummy pasta! Just to show what kind of hams my kiddos can be, here are pictures of them "posing" on one of the red seats in the waiting area. Not sure why Beckett and Helen thought they had to have such serious looking facial expressions, but Will was rocking the smile!

It was a short, but fun trip to visit Grankaki and Granbob! Enjoyed our time with them and the fun at the Frist! Looking forward to a summer trip to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville next time we visit!