Day 112: field trip - green moments at the Madison Children's Museum

We went with friends from Sam's preschool to the Madison Children's Museum today. The museum recently changed locations which meant it was all new and up to date.  I hadn't planned on this trip being our green activity for the day but man did it come through!

Let's start in the bathroom.  The toilets could be flushed in two different ways.  The sign on the handle indicated that you could flush up for less water and flush down for more water. I don't want to get into why you would need more water versus less water but the fact that there is an option is AWESOME!  They also had something called the Hand Blade, which was a drying machine that you stick your hands into and it virtually dired them instantly.  Sure it terrifed Sam and sent her running out of the room because it was so loud and fast but it was AWESOME!

I was pretty busy chasing my two girls all over the museum so I didn't get too much of an opportunity to look closely at other features of the building but I did go to the website and read through their Green Guide and this museum is AWESOME!  With what they are doing to support the local community, use local materials, use recycled or repurposed materials and to lower their footprint.  Love that.

And the stuff for the kids to play with was pretty cool too!

Things I didn't get photos of -  a HUGE art room that had a recycled art area (an entire area devoted to letting kids come up with something to do or create with toilet paper tubes!).  And another area in the art room devoted to creating art with natural objects, they had pine cones, grass, leaves, sticks, rocks, shells, acorns and anything else that you can think of. 

There were so many cool repurposed items all over the place like doctors chairs to climb on, airplane control panels with lots of buttons to push and knobs to turn, and metal signs turned into blocks.  There was more than two two year olds, two babies and two moms could explore and do in one morning.  It was AWESOME.

Do you have a children's museum in your town?  Have you been there recently?  How green are they and do they have exhibits with nature related themes?  If you don't know now is time to find out! 

Nope, they didn't ask me to review this place. I am just writing my opinions and our experiences!

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The Nitty Gritty! (this is long but stick with me cause I have a favor to ask at the end!)

Places like Children's Museums, Science Museums or even Art Museums can seem a lot like big zoos, overwhelming in the amount to see and do, expensive, stressful, crowded and a lot of effort.  But that is not always the case. 

If they seem too big and overwhelming to tackle with your young child consider just focusing on part of the facility; one room, one exhibit or one floor.  There is no reason you have to see it all every time you go.  Sam would have been totally content today to spend the entire 2.5 hours that we were there in the water room (complete with a rain roof, a glass room that had water pouring down on top of the ceiling and running down the outside of the walls!).  You might get bored easily this way so bring a magazine or a book, or just go with the mind set that you are going to play WITH your child at their level and at their pace.  Let them guide the amount of time spent in each area.  I find too often that I am the one saying "Should we go see what is over there?", "Sam are you ready to try something else?".  She should be guiding the exploration, not me.

If the museums that you have are expensive look into their memberships, if you think you would really benefit from going and use the facility the membership can often times be great deals in the end.  Most of these places will also have deals; certain dates/times when they are free or reduced rate.  Also be sure you check for coupons or specials that might be available for families, residents or children of certain ages.  Memberships also make great christmas presents from the grandparents!

If the outing has you spinning even at the thought of it then don't try it by yourself the first time. I brought back up today! Sure she came with her own set of little mobile problems but it took the pressure off of me a bit in making sure that I remembered everything. I am notorious for not having all the mommy-required-items on hand (wipes, extra snacks, kleenex, a drink, etc.).  Bringing a spouse, friend or other family member with can really make the experience less stressful and a lot more fun.  Once you have been once you will know what to expect, exactly what you need and can then probably venture out on your own.

Crowded...well, yes.  But so is the grocery store at times and we all survive that okay!  The other kids just add to the experience and craziness that young kids love so much.

Trust me, if you have a good museum in your area seek it out and use it.  They are well worth the effort. 

This is one that we will for sure be hitting up again and again when the snow piles up so high that Avery would need to make a tunnel to be able to crawl around in the yard.

ONE MORE THING....(man this is a long post) I have an activity that we tried to do today involving attracting moths to certain spots in your yard for easy viewing at night.  However I waited too long to do this I think and now it is too cold! I am hoping I can find someone in warmer climates to test this out for me because I am SUPER curious to see if it really works.  Email or comment if you live in a place that is still warm and are willing to try this out with your kids. Thanks!

Comments

[Mrs Green]

what an amazing looking place - I love that they have so much awareness of green issues in the smallest of ways. thanks for sharing the lovely photos :)

[Angela]

We really enjoy our children's museums. They are a treasure. Love the 'garden'. I have encountered the Hand Blade and it is the most awesome device. I actually took a picture of it! Peace, Angela

[Bucket Trucks]

We don't have anything like that in our area. I could sure build some things like that for the girls though. I'll bet that playhouse makes those kids pretty happy. My wife would love it if I built something like that.

[Metro DC Mom]

Just came over to visit from the SITS tortoise group and realized you live near my parents. We went to the Madison Children's Museum this summer and my boys LOVED it!