Nature Centers

There are two nature centers close by and we've been utilizing them for the past few weeks.  The boys were ecstatic the first time we took them to For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum because there were real turtles and fish and snakes and lizards to look at.  There were also lots of stuffed animals around the room, plus pelts!  So it was a magical experience, especially for Caleb, our animal-lover, and we had to drag them out of there when it was time to leave.

After saying goodbye to the animals inside, we took the boys on a short hike through the woods and learned what a suspension bridge is, observed the roots on several knocked-down trees, and watched the water flow under the ice on a stream.  The hike took way longer than it should have (read: Kai stopped at every rock and tree and wouldn't keep up, then Eli had to carry both older boys for half of it because they were tired and a bit crabby by the end), but we're still glad we did it.  We've decided that, for the most part, we're willing to put up with the extra work of getting our kids out into the woods for the sake of getting our kids out into the woods!

Nature centers are marvelous places.  Eli and Caleb have returned to For-Mar a couple times for the Knee-High Naturalist program and learned about owls and animal defenses through stories and crafts.  And this past weekend we ventured to another place, Seven Ponds Nature Center, to learn about early voyagers around the Great Lakes and to explore even more "animal friends" as Caleb calls them.

Asa was really excited to tag along and was dressed in his adorable overalls until having a blowout in his pants right before we left.  At least it happened at home!

My mom and dad joined us for the afternoon program, and Dad volunteered to be dressed up like a voyager.  Doesn't he look great?

Caleb and Kai particularly loved the beaver lodge.  They could crawl inside and pretend to be beavers!  They returned to the lodge many times throughout the afternoon.

Caleb was also a fan of the pelts.  He's fairly good at identifying them and knows more about them than the average 3-year old.  (Have we mentioned that he's an animal-lover?  He's kinda obsessed.)  Kai liked the skulls on the Touch Table and thought every one was a T-Rex skull :)

There's a lovely sitting area in front of several windows with birdfeeders outside, and many birds were flying around, especially woodpeckers.  Kai was attempting to identify which was which.  His favorite?  The tufted titmouse!

And this boy was as happy and adorable as can be!  Asa is honestly such a good baby.  He's flexible and patient with our life right now, so he goes with the flow and catches naps when he can and does really well without much of a daily routine.  We're so thankful for his good nature because it allows us to get out of the house fairly easily and do things like this!  He's currently learning how to sit and loves playing with his toes, so he spent some time on a bench near the windows and did just that: sorta sit and play with his toes.

We've always know that spending time outside and learning about the natural world was going to be important for our family.  We're trying to instill those values into our kids even now, and heading to the nature centers close by is one way to do that.  We've been happy to hear Caleb's repeated requests that we return to Seven Ponds soon!