Travel Town Field Trip

When my brother and I were little, one of our favorite places to go was Travel Town.  I've written about it before here on my blog as it has become a favorite place for Em and Ro to visit as well.

This trip to Travel Town was pretty wonderful.  A play date with friends who live far away... meeting in the middle of our freeway distances, Travel Town was the place to go.  Snacks and sunscreen packed, we piled in and off we went!

Just off the 134 Freeway, Travel Town is a fabulous and free way to spend a summer afternoon with your kiddos, or with any railway buff!  For Em and Ro, climbing on the steam engines and letting their imaginations take them wherever they felt like going, was an excellent way to spend time with friends.

Allllll aboard!!!

La Brea Tar Pits Exploration!

Em and Ro at the top of the hill at the Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits

The joy of the summer school break is the ability to take the boys on day excursions in the middle of the week.  Another great joy for families on a budget are free days at said day excursions!  Free first Tuesdays at the Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits are awesome and are not just about the museum!  About 2/3 of our visit was spent outdoors rolling down the hills (the museum is kinda pyramid shaped with grassy angled sides) and taking in the views of the city.  A picnic lunch, a resting moment in the shade of the trees and that's your day. 

Of course, going inside the museum to learn about one of the world's largest active fossil research sites is fun too.  Skeletons of long extinct dinosaurs, sloths, saber-tooth tigers... and wee things too such as shells, plants, bugs can be viewed.  One of our favorite stops is always "the fish bowl" where you can watch scientists at work.  The meticulous patience of these men and women is very fun to watch! 

Ro and Em wandering down the hill to sit under the shady trees for a bit.

Of course, all days must come to an end and we decided to leave before the insanity of L.A. traffic truly hit.  We'll be going back again soon... at least once more before school starts.

California Science Center Fun

Up up up the escalator with NaNa!

The boys and I went with NaNa to the California Science Center yesterday... the first of many trips this summer to be sure!  One of my favorite things about the science center are many the hands-on exhibits that are perfectly suited for kids and their curious nature!  Starting when I was a child and now in adulthood, I have found that learning by doing and experiencing rather than watching and listening works very well for me.  This type of approach seems to work for Em and Ro as well.

Ro checking out the structural integrity of his building at the California Science Center.
Apparently, this creation would not withstand an earthquake!

After learning about ways to help the environment, we moved on to the structures section to build archways using keystones and wooden frames.  We checked out soil compositions and how liquefaction can be activated in an earthquake.  We learned about common types of fault lines (remember, this is Southern California) and plate tectonics... all slightly above the head of my 4 year old.  But, the mini shake table was what truly helped Ro grasp all the previous exhibit sections.  I think we stayed at this table for about 45 minutes!  Em and Ro built and rebuilt structures (using the pieces you see above in the photos) to see which construction of the structure would hold out the longest in an earthquake.  Each time the structures fell, the looked at it as an opportunity to try again and figure out what worked the best.

There are many other sections to the California Science Center that we visited, but this section was where we spent the bulk of our time.  And since, the science center is free, we prefer to hunker down in one or two areas rather than try to mad dash our way through everything.  On our next visit in a week or two, we plan to spend the day in the recently opened Ecosystems gallery.

Summer fun at The Getty

( In the Family Room. Em-5, Dom-6, Vin-3, Ro-3)

Gathering sunscreen, snacks, camera, water & wee ones... do I have everything and everyone?
Picking up NaNa & PaPa fuel the excitement!
Where's the tram? Oooh, there's the tram, everyone pick a seat by the window!
Hello cars on the 405 freeway below... we see you as we climb climb climb in the tram to the tippity top. We're here! We're here!!! Where are we again Mommy?!
Down the winding walkway, following the babbling water to the Central Garden-- we find every color, count petals on flowers, ooh and ahh the hummingbird. Turning around, you can see where we've come from... the hills!! The grassy hills! Let's go roll down the garden hills!
Sculpture viewing? Check! Photography viewing? Check!! Impatience leads us to the Family Room where we can be loud and silly and hands-on.
Much time passes... we've made masks, recreated tube sculptures, read in a French bed room (the bed is the whole room!), recreated manuscripts and finally begun to slow down.
Back outside, we break for snacking and water garden viewing. A bit of a rest before the trip back down the tram.
A great day! A long day for the Mommies... boys nodding off as we wave goodbye.

Trip to Griffith Observatory

On my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, number 7 (Family trip to Griffith Observatory) was one I had been greatly looking forward to for many many reasons.

Quick Background Memory: As a child of separated parents, my brother and I lived with my Mother and spent many weekends with my Father. My Father's sister, Aunt Mary Kaye, lived with her two daughters in Burbank-- so mini family reunions were often par for the course... and since we were already all the way out if Burbank (in my kid-sized world that was FAR FAR AWAY from Tarzana, where I lived), we would do many things in the area. As such, my love of the Griffith Observatory grew.

Fast Forward about 28 years... and it was time for Rob and I as the parents to pass that love on to Em and Ro.

The history of Griffith Park is over 100 years in the making and holds both learning and entertainment options for everyone of every age; just as Colonel Griffith J. Griffith wanted it to be and become when he bequeathed the land to the City of Los Angeles in the late 1800's. The Los Angeles Zoo, the Greek Theatre, Travel Town Railroad Museum, the Museum of the American West... and about 4000 acres of natural terrain all reside in the Griffith Park family. Name an activity (walking, horse back riding, hiking) and we've done it here!

The Observatory had been closed for several years, reopening at the end of 2006 with limited, advanced, timed-entry reservations only for the first year... yes, it's that popular! We patiently waited for the hub-bub to die down as well as for Em and Ro to grow up a little... and finally this year, off we went on a hot, sunny, summer day for a visit. The Observatory is now over twice the size it once was (they built two new floors down into the mountain) but still retains its' signature 1930s architecture with copper clad domes and white plaster.

One of the main features I used to be fascinated by was the Foucault Pendulum... apparently Em loves it too. The ceiling from which the brass pendulum swings was painted by artist Hugo Ballin.
Ro's favorite sections were about the sun...After looking at everything inside, we went outside for a quick snack and to let the munchkins roam free on the large grass lawns.

Here's Ro looking up at Newton, one of six astronomers featured just outside the entrance to the Observatory.

We had such a wonderful time, we went back a few weeks later with friends!!

Fun at the Huntington

Yesterday, Rob and I took the boys for a playdate with their new friends Dom and Vin at the Huntington in San Marino. #4 on my 101 list happened faster than I thought and we had an amazing blast!!

Our first stop was to the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. This new addition to the Huntington has been in the works for about a decade and it is very tranquil and very beautiful. We brought a quick snack and ate here near the tea house, overlooking the gorgeous lake and bridges. We especially loved the flat fish bridge with its' carved koi fish

Then on to a good soaking in the Children's Garden. Em and Dom ran around to experience all the different elements of the garden and both ended up soaked to the skin! Ro especially loved the misty fog created at 15 minute intervals in the Frog Grotto while Em shrieked with joy in the slightly more drenching garden rotunda of the Rainbow Room. The new pic in my blog header is of Ro in the kid-sized arbor pathway-- he delighted in running back and forth between sun and shade over and over again.

All in all, it was a truly wonderful day! I am sure we will be heading back to the Huntington again at some point this year after it cools down a little bit. There is always so much to entertain all five senses there!

Making new friends at the Natural History Museum

Number 2 on my 101 challenges in 1001 days is/was a family trip to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles... a challenge we completed yesterday with fantastic results!!

After picking up NaNa and PaPa Ted, we braved the 405 Freeway and the Santa Monica Freeway to carpool our way down to the heart of Los Angeles and the museum. I had packed oodles of snacks and drinks to last through the afternoon and armed myself with our trusty camera to document the day.

First up, we made our way straight to the hands-on discovery center where Em and Ro dug for dinosaur fossils, drew insects and observed all sorts of reptiles. We weaved our way through kids on field trips and Em & NaNa sat in with the 2nd graders on an informational lecture.

Next was a quick break and snack time where I met a cool Momma and her two boys who are almost the same ages as Em and Ro! How lucky is that!!?!! And then even luckier still, she graciously gave us tickets to the Huntington Library and Gardens which recently reopened their Art Gallery AND hosted the grand opening of the Liu Fang Yuan (Garden of Flowing Fragrance) -- a garden I am super excited to see after many months of waiting!!

Em and Ro ran around with their new friends for the rest of the afternoon exploring the North American and African mammals sections, pretending to be flap their wings in the Bird/Marsh section and resting in the very center of the floor of the final mammal section. After a long and wonderful afternoon, we parted ways with phone numbers and a promise to meet up at the Huntington on Thursday. My camera is charging now and I'm getting the extra clothes ready in preparation for the water features in the Children's Garden.

Travel Town Museum

Not all museums are indoors... the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park is a mostly-outdoor museum dedicated to preserving the history of trains.

On Saturday, we took the munchkins for a visit to check out the trains, freight cars, passenger cars, cabooses, and other railroad memorbilia. You can climb on board about 2/3 of the exhibits and gain a little bit of an understanding of what it meant to be a conductor and also a passenger on these wonderful trains.

I remember coming to Travel Town when I was a kid... my brother and I would spend hours imagining all sorts of situations where we would need to fill the trains with coal and water. Take tickets from passengers... "Alllll aboard!" I can still hear him yelling...

Wedding & Getty Details

I'm still dealing with the aftermath of my brother's wedding weekend... the wedding was gorgeous and emotional and romantic and energetic and great great fun! The ceremony left everyone with glistening eyes since everyone seemed to be soooo in love. It reminded me of my wedding day and I was happy I brought my makeup with me to reapply after all the tears of joy. Here is a pic of the cake my brother and his new wife designed.

After the Friday rehersal, Saturday wedding and Sunday goodbye brunch (I said it was a weekend!) the munchkins, the hubby and I decided to have Sunday afternoon all to ourselves. We packed some water and snacks and headed to The Getty Museum... a favorite spot of ours.



There was a free concert in the garden that afternoon of a kid-favorite musician, Justin Roberts, and we spent the time dancing, rolling down the grass hills and walking around the garden maze.

After the concert we made a must-do visit to the Family Room to explore art with a more hands-on approach. You can draw your own Japanese warrior mask, lay on a replica of an 18th century French bed (a favorite of mommies with babies) and create your own version of their tube sculpture.

The Getty also has this amazing balloon and tubelike sculpture in the opening atrium called the Überorgan that plays amusing morse-code-like music every hour. Here is a pic of Em laying on the floor of the atrium looking up and listening to the sculpture.

We ended the day with a fast dinner, a few books and vanilla pudding.

I have a lot of catching up to do with blogs, crafts, projects and getting Em ready to start "school" at home with me. I wanted to write about that today, but time ran away from me again...

Have a wonderful day everyone!