We were going to make some bird feeders today and I was also going to share all the books that we have been reading this week but we woke up this morning motivated for a big outing (may have helped that Chris had the day off!). So we packed up a big picnic lunch and headed just under an hour west of Madison to Blue Mounds where Cave of the Mounds is located.
Check out the amazing adventure we had far beneath the Earth!
I have a bunch more pictures I could have posted but I didn't want to overwhelm you all! Check out the Facebook page if you are interested in seeing more.
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The Nitty Gritty!
A cave was a bit of a stretch for a three year old and a 18 month old. They kind of understood that we were under the ground, looking at rocks and that we couldn't touch anything because it was very fragile. But all of the rest of the science behind what a cave is and how it is made went way over their heads.
Even though they didn't learn a ton from this trip I still think it was very beneficial and a lot of fun for all of us. They got to see things that they have never seen before and stretched the comfort levels in new and different ways.
I have some advice for parents of little ones that want to try out natural features like this that have guided tours. When you are with a group and have to walk in a line (like we did in the cave going single file the whole time) be at the back. I think this is the best place because then you can walk at your child's pace without holding up anyone else, you can step away from the group if your child becomes too fussy and it is much easier to distract a child with chatting, songs or other things when you are not right up in front by the naturalist/guide. You have to try your best to be respectful of the other guests that are trying to tour as well and just hope that most of them are parents too and understand what you are trying to do.
Some other tips that might help with toddlers and preschoolers on these kinds of tours:
- be sure to bring along water (you never know how long to the next water fountain)
- have them go to the bathroom right before the tour (duh!)
- if the facility has a map of the tour or their park let your child bring that along for them to look at and try to follow along
- if you have a camera that your child can use bring that so they can take pictures to help them remember the tour
- have anything else to suggest? Please leave me a comment and let me know!
I love caves! We were just in Jewel Cave in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I was a little nervous taking my kids on a 1.5 hour tour, but it turned out great. Glad you had an underground adventure!
Posted by: Mel | 08/23/2011 at 02:08 PM