Big Big Bugs

This weekend had some interesting moments. We spent most of Saturday up at Steve's parents house for their birthday celebration. The kids had fun playing with their cousins, but we also have some stuff we need to work out before we go to visit again. But that's not a story for here.

On Sunday, while Steve and his brother were doing a home improvement project (see tomorrow's post), I had to take the boys out of the house. So I took them to our downtown public museum to see the new Big Big Bugs exhibit. Thanks to a gift membership, we were able to see the special exhibit and a planetarium program related to it. I wasn't so sure about a "bug" exhibit, but it was very fun.

First things first, Aaron HAD to go visit the doll room which he loves and Noah picked up a brochure about the bug stuff



Then we headed straight to the bugs room.

It was actually very cool. It was filled with HUGE animatronic bugs with information about them. There were quite a few exhibits for the kids to play with and touch.



They got to crawl underneath a stage with huge atlas beetles and pop their heads up as if they were beetle food




They returned several times to climb the big "spider web" that hung from the ceiling.














There was a wooden board game where kids had to move different bug pieces, only if the card described their bug, so they had to learn about the different bugs.

And on the other side of the room, the same board game was super sized with pieces you picked up to move and a volunteer reading off the cards descriptions.

Noah's favorite was the praying mantis that grew so large that it's claws came right out of the curtain it was behind














and Aaron grossed me out with the exhibit of which bugs are found in which rooms of one's house.





It was a very cool exhibit and I know we have to go back since Steve didn't get to see it.

Then we were headed off to the planetarium where they had a show about the night stars with crickets in the background. The show was pretty good except for when a "thunderstorm," came and somehow they actually made a tiny amount of water spray on us. Neither of the boys really appreciated it that much, even though I though it was quite funny.

And to make the trip complete, we got a flyer for free carousel rides from the guy in the parking ramp, which made for a fun end to the excursion.


Luckily, the boys were as excited to get home and see the finished product that Daddy had completed so there was no real protest about leaving two hours later. That is another benefit to a membership. We can always just come back again so they don't have to "hurry up and play".



So for someone who is as squeamish as I am of bugs, I actually thought the exhibit was pretty neat and I think I am looking forward to taking Steve back to it in a weekend in the future.

As for today, I am feeling more rotten each day, with sore throat, persistent cough, and stuffy head not wanting to get better. I have to sing in front of the chorus members tonight for placement for the concert and I;'m not quite sure how to do that in my current state, but I guess it just remains to be seen.

Have a great Monday.