Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD)

When our outdoor plans on Labor Day Monday had to be changed because of yet another rainy forecast, we decided to head to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore to visit the Maryland Science Center.  It had been awhile since we'd last gone, and the kids were eager to check out their favorite exhibits from before and explore some new ones as well.  Because the Science Center is a an ASTC Passport participant, they offer a reciprocal admission program with other Science Center and museum memberships from around the country.  Thanks to this program, the kids' cousins from Delaware were able to join us for free!

My sister and I, along with the five cousins, spent more than 5 hours at the Science Center checking out all the exhibits and watching the demonstrations.  Our kids range in age from 6 to 9 years old and they all loved it.  While younger kids might be a little too small for some of the exhibits, toddlers and preschoolers would love the large Children's Room, the dinosaur exhibits and many of the other exhibits. Older children would be able to understand even more of the science principles that are at work in the displays and demonstrations.

Checking out some of the many exhibits

Learning about tornadoes

Discovering about pullies.

Optical illusions can make you silly!

Uncovering a dinosaur fossil

Lying on a bed of nails (the kids LOVED this!)

Another hit ~ sounds of the human body

They could have stayed at the water play area for HOURS!

Doing some experiments of their own in the Wet Lab

Learning new facts at various demonstrations

Learning about static electricity

An experiment about air pressure

Finding out about color perception

The Baltimore Inner Harbor area 

also has lots of shops and restaurants, 

the National Aquarium, the Orioles and Ravens' Stadiums, 

Fort McHenry and lots more, 

making it a fun weekend destination for families.

Indian Echo Caverns (Hummelstown, PA)

This is the first of several posts on fun outings we've gone on this summer.  There will be a few more "travel" posts in the next couple days and then I'll be back to sharing some projects and crafts.

A few weeks ago, we planned an end-of-summer getaway to Hershey Park.  We weren't going to go into the amusement park until the evening, so I wanted to find a little something else to do in the area that the kids would enjoy.  I came across Indian Echo Caverns in my internet wanderings and the kids were excited to go into a real cave again (we went to Luray Caverns in Virginia a couple years ago and they LOVED it!)

While Indian Echo Caverns is not nearly as big as Luray, we still really enjoyed our underground adventure.  When you purchase your tickets, you're put into a group of about 20 people led by a tour guide.  The walking tours depart about every 10 minutes or so and last about 45 minutes.  The tour guide we had was very entertaining and pointed out a lot of interesting cave formations and facts about the cave.  The temperature inside the cave stays at 52 degrees year round, so I packed lightweight jackets for the kids.  Above-ground, there's a large gift shop, small playground and petting zoo, and a gem mining area.

Some of the cool cavern formations

Me and my cave explorers!

Panning for "gems"

While I don't think the caverns would be worth a special trip to the area, I think they're a really interesting place to spend an hour or so if you're planning a visit to Hershey/Harrisburg.

Wheaton Regional Park (Wheaton, MD)

Here's another fun outing for those local to Maryland or planning a trip to the Washington, DC region...

Wheaton Regional Park, located in the suburbs of Washington DC, has a few different areas.  I already shared about the fun we had at seeing the Butterflies at Brookside Gardens, but wanted to also share the fun we had in the Shorefield area of the park.  You can either walk from one area to the other (it's a fairly long walk, but pretty) or go back out the main roads and enter through another entrance.

I'd heard other people talk about the fun miniature train and carousel, but we didn't have a chance to see them on our other visits to Brookside Gardens.  I'm so glad we ventured over to that area on our latest visit.

The kids LOVED the miniature train ride.  Tickets were just $1.75 a piece and it was a fairly long ride through the woods.  We were even lucky enough to see a few deer while on our ride.  (NOTE: the train does not operate if the tracks are wet at all, so check their Facebook page before you go if there's been any rain recently)

Waiting to leave the station

Heading through the open field

Then going through the woods

The carousel was a hit too (and also $1.75 a ticket).  It was built in 1915 and spent many years on the National Mall in DC.

There's also a stocked pond at the park.  My son declared that he definitely wants to come back and go fishing after we saw lots of little fish swimming around.

We were really lucky to see this beautiful buck just off the path we were walking along.

They are replacing the older playground at the park with a brand new Adventure Playground.  It was still under construction (slated to reopen this Fall 2011), but looks incredible so far.  We'll definitely be making a trip down in a few months to test out those huge slides!!

Between our time at Brookside Gardens and then the Train and Carousel area of the park, we spent almost 5 hours enjoying a nice, Summer day!

Butterflies at Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)

For the past few years, the kids and I have made the short trek to Wheaton, MD (a suburb of Washington, DC) to visit Brookside Gardens.  The outdoor gardens are beautiful (and FREE!) with paths, fountains, gazebos, ponds and tons of great spots to snap a few photos.  There's a nature center, gift shop and cute children's garden with a little treehouse.  

However, the main reason we go back each year is to see the Wings of Fancy exhibit.  Hundreds (maybe even thousands) of butterflies fly freely inside an indoor conservatory.  The large room is filled with several trees and bushes and lots of colorful flowers.  There are many species of butterflies that will flutter all around you as they move from flower to flower.  Volunteers are on hand to point out facts about the butterflies and answer any questions.

I probably took 50 photos ~ there were tons of pretty butterflies!

There is a small fee ($6 for adults, $4 for kids 3 and older), but we think it's totally worth it for the neat experience.  Plus, you can reenter more than once on the same day.  We often check out the butterflies, wander around the gardens, then go back to see the butterflies again.  Strollers aren't allowed inside the exhibit, but it's not that big so it's easy to carry your little one or let them walk.  Also, when the temperatures outside are too high, the exhibit will close early ( We found that out the hard way last summer).  If you check their Facebook page, they will announce any changes.

If you're local, or planning a visit to the Washington DC area, I think it's definitely worth a visit!  If you're not local, see if there might be something similar nearby ~ it really is a cool experience.

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip:

Getting up close!

You were allowed to touch the butterflies at the volunteer's stand.

A butterfly landed on her dress!

They had some magnifying glasses for a better look.

The Children's Garden

A Gnome's Home!

In the treehouse

On a butterfly bench

A few shots of my cute kids!

(I really want to learn how to use my new camera 

so I can get the lighting and focus better) 

And, finally, some more butterflies!

The one on the bottom right was one of my favorite shots.

Brookside Gardens is part of the larger Wheaton Regional Park.  In the past, we just focused on the Butterfly Exhibit and surrounding gardens.  This year, we explored more of the Regional Park and discovered an awesome train and carousel.  Check out my post HERE for the fun we had there!

Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC

We are so fortunate to live just about an hour's drive from Washington DC.  Every year, I say I want to make it down to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom and every year our schedule or the weather prevents us from actually going.    When we woke up to sunshine on Sunday and a forecast of temperatures in the high 50's, we scrapped our plans to get things done around the house, packed some snacks and jumped in the car.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon.  I'll share a few of the many photos I took yesterday and I encourage anyone who is able to make the trip to put it on their bucket list.

First, here's some info from the National Park Service about these beautiful Cherry trees and their springtime blossoms and the website for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Pretty backdrop and 2 out of 3 kids willing to look at the camera!

A few  "I-can-squish-the-Washington Monument" shots!

The kids love Teddy Roosevelt in the Night at the Museum movies, so we always stop at Theodore Roosevelt Island for a vist!