museums: part 1

This week found us out and about, discovering new places and enjoying old favorites. We trekked out to Iowa with a Grandpa in tow to join my sister and her babes at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. It's a great museum, split into two buildings, with plenty to explore. In the day we spent there, we didn't make it through all of both buildings. We did get to...


enjoy the aquarium


tour an old houseboat


play with Mark Twain


take the helm of a boat


see native species


get a close-up of a 100 lb. catfish


travel back in time to Mark Twain's Mississippi


move logs down the river (or at least pretend to!)


try out a boatsman's tools


touch some river creatures

The kids always impress me with how well they travel. Day trips such as this mean lots of time spent in the car. Having Grandpa along to entertain them with stories makes the travelling that much more enjoyable. And everyone got a kick out of using the GPS to track the dips and rises in our altitude as we drove through the hills of Galena. The time in the car was filled with so much conversation, questioning and discovery that it may well have been the most educational part of our expedition. These moments remind me how easily learning can take place without us even being aware that we are teaching.