Museum Fun

My sister's four kids came for a visit and we went to one of their favorite places in Grand Rapids--the Children's Discovery Museum. With free tickets from the public library, what entertainment could be better?

Micah setting  up the blocks before hitting a button to create an "earthquake"...

...and giggling hysterically when the blocks fell.

"May I please have the keys?"

Trains, trains, trains

Thanks for fixing the track, Papa!

Playing Post Office

Ashleigh creating a wacky Mr. Potato Head

Natalie with her favorite doll in the museum

Wizard of Oz dolls

More trains...

Welcome to the bakery

"How may I help you?"

Callie, Natalie, and Ashleigh playing dress-up

Of course, the boats in the locks are always a hit. Free reign to play in water!

Swing those hips, Callie!

Callie, always a silly nut, wanted to pose with the scary lion.

 

Ashleigh preferred the less scary animals.

Best part of the day... peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch!

Attached to the children's museum is a Judy Garland museum, which doesn't particularly interest me. A lot of hype for a person who only lived here for the first four years of her life. We were able to walk through the house she "supposedly" lived in... I've heard conflicting stories as to whether this was even her house. Anyway, the girls enjoyed seeing all the "olden day" decor. I wouldn't mind having this piano, either!

Lots of fun... lots of giggles... and when all was said and done, I got to take home four adorable munchkins!

Singin' in the Rain

I'm singin' in the rain,

just singin' in the rain
what a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again
I'm laughin' at clouds

so dark up above
the sun's in my heart

and I'm ready for love

let the stormy clouds chase

everyone from the place
come on with the rain,

I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane

with a happy refrain
just singin',

singin' in the rain.

Lake Superior Railroad Museum

Earlier this summer, my sister Becky and I took her four kids to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, MN.

Model Train


We were able to tour many of the trains. The kids had fun exploring. This was the snowplow, used to clear the tracks after huge snowstorms.




Callie in the caboose.


Playing around in the mail car.






A few pictures of the trains on display.






This is Minnesota's first steam engine, The William Crooks, built in 1862.


The perimeter of the train depot is lined with small shops and businesses. Of course there is a train station, as well as a drug store, candy shop, clothing store, hardware store, soda fountain, dentist and doctor's office, and more.








Attached to the depot is a children's museum. The kids had fun playing with the pulleys, trucks, and cranes in the construction zone.










Micah was fascinated by the "floating" ball, caused by air blowing through the orange cone.


Climbing the spiral stairs inside the giant tree brought us upstairs to another level of the museum. Here you can do art projects, play music, and explore a campsite.






Near the entrance to the depot, there was a military museum with memorabilia from various branches of the armed forces.
The kids are standing in front of an 1818 U.S. flag. The lower right star is literally held together with a thin thread. In fact, the plaque said they had to place the display case at an angle to ensure that the weight of the flag didn't cause the threads to break.


Four hours at the museum + zero naps = an exhausting, fun-filled day for everyone