I thought it would be an insane idea.
Years ago, about six, when Joseph was Cole's age and Camille was a ten week fetus, I met my mom and sister at our local art museum. It was an interesting day. I just remember getting lost on the way there (thank you, crappy GPS) and wrangling Joseph. The guards were NOT amused that Joseph has the ever present Puff and a pair of plastic keys with him. We were followed! Lol.
I never thought of going again (kids? art museum?) until a speaker at our MOPS group said that, done right, the art museum is a GREAT place for kids. I took her advice and a friend and I got together and took the kids.
All our kids- seven, five and a half, two two and a half year olds, a fifteen month old and a two month old. BUT! We weren't the only group there! There were loads of field trips and even a couple preschool classes. Normally I HATE running into field trips but this time I was glad because it meant that my kids weren't the only ones making noise.
We rode a golf cart down to the new area of the museum. I loved the statues and art but the kids weren't impressed. Nothing was behind glass and they could not sit on the bench- because it wasn't really a bench, it was ART. Georgie even stuck his foot into this fountain/rock piece and set off and alarm. Ops.
I was ready to write the whole thing off as an epic DISASTER until we went into the African exhibit. There things were behind glass AND they were cool- for kids. Joseph loved a whole throne made of beads and the little kids loved the animals. Whew!
Now, I had done a great job of prepping the kids that the art museum is a "look don't touch" place but I forgot to warn them about the naked statues! Yes, naked. Totally butt naked. I was impressed with how well they held it together. Camille simply said, "Oh, there's a women and you can see her bre asts" and that was that. I don't think she noticed the (well endowed) men.
Georgie did though. Apparently, art museums are also good for using some of the ten words he has. In the Asian area, there were lots of "neigh neighs". In England, we saw, "duh duh" and "meow." There was a BIG neigh neigh with a knight, which was MUCH cooler than the St. George statue. But what was awesome, and so awesome that he had to say it loudly in rooms that echoes were all the many... many... many ...
pee-pees.
Yes, thank you, George David for pointing out the male parts on all the naked statues!
The real mummy was also awesome. Joseph was so into that. There was also a working exhibit of a machine that was making abstract art. The machine would heat up some pellets and extrude some plastic type material onto a conveyor belt. The machine was set with a timer to turn on and off randomly so all the sculptures were random- all different piles, drips and turns. I was impressed watching the kids- Joseph was asking all sorts of technical questions and Camille was telling me it smelled like chocolate and what the different ones looked like.
(There was a guide next to the machine and she clearly had NO CLUE about the scientific side of the thing. She was like, "Seriously, kid, I'm just an art student doing hours making sure you don't destroy this thing. I have no idea how it works!")
Lunch.... lunch was a different story. They were a little wild and Cole was a little whiny but we muscled through and got ice cream after!
Then tonight we were siting around the living room roasting and watching the History Channel. It was a cool show about Air Force One and although Camille deemed the music "scary" it was a safe show. I wandered away for a few minutes to talk to Adam and then Cami came upstairs saying, "I don't want to watch that show. Someone shot the President and his head blew up." Um. Oh. Guess the show changed!
I went back down stairs and Joseph was unphased but said the show was scary and was now watching Swamp People. I guess gators are way less scary than President's whose heads get blown off and ladies with blood on their dresses. (Per Camille, later.) So, yes, in addition to explaining why lots of statues were naked and just how and why ancient Egyptians mummified people, I got to explain the Kennedy assassination!
You know, I should probably count today as their summer schoolwork for the week... and towards several drinks for me!
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