Nature and Science

Yesterday we decided to check out the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Getting there was quite the ordeal, and involved a lot of really bad traffic, a closed highway, and a lot of confused driving around a city that I don't know. I would have driven us straight back home, if I'd have known how to get there! (See? That's how badly I was lost!) Fortunately, Joseph saved the day and we got there. I just know I'm going to look back on this in 10 years, when I know Denver like the back of my hand, and laugh at my clueless, sense-of-direction-less self. That is, assuming we stay in Boulder... which really, is not very likely at this point.
Anyway, we finally made it to the museum and all of the kids and I agreed that it was worth it. It was so much fun! We only explored the first floor (and we were there for a good three hours), but hopefully we can go back sometime and check out the other two.

As we walked into the museum we were greeted by this giant walking dinosaur skeleton. Elinor was a little nervous about the whole thing, and I'm not sure Jacob even noticed, but Emily and Caleb got a kick out of it.

We spent a lot of time at the Space Exhibit. There were a lot of cool things that sort of required two parents to be there (or fewer kids per parent) for the kids to really receive the full impact of the demonstration, but there was enough to keep my kids happily occupied with me just supervising.

Here Caleb is working on docking a space shuttle. The surface is like an air-hockey table and there's an outline for where he needs to park the ship.

We attempted to attend a planetarium show. What we saw was impressive, and Emily and Caleb really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, due to difficulties involving younger kids kicking seatbacks and crawling up and down the stairs (ahem... mine), we had to duck out early.

Here's Jake on the moon.

Elinor was there too.

Caleb spent his time manning the space shuttle. Isn't that a great space suit?!

The whole crew.

This was a mars landscape demonstration, showing how water has carved different formations into the surface.

After the space stuff, we headed out to see the rock display. It was incredible! Emily was in heaven. She loves anything to do with rocks and crystals.

Next we stopped for lunch and to get the kids' faces painted. They were all so happy with what they chose. Caleb kept pulling faces to try to make his bat's wings flap.

We poked our heads into the Egypt exhibit, since that's what we're studying right now. By this point the kids were becoming a little harder to keep under control so we decided to call it quits while we could still remember it as a good experience. :)

Fortunately, the drive home went a lot more smoothly than the drive there and we arrived home without incident.

And just FYI, Elinor's shirt was inside out and backwards the whole day. Her shoes were on the wrong feet too. She has taken style matters into her own hands lately. And who am I to stop her?