I try to plan our activities to coordinate with our current theme, but sometimes the connection is pretty slim. That's why we found ourselves at the Camden Children's Garden on Friday - to visit the "dinosaur" garden and dig out some dino bones in the big sandbox.
It was one of our better outings. I've found that the kids usually have better trips when it's just the four of us. Isn't it strange how that works? That other helping hands (Kevin, other mamas) tend to muck things up? Partly it's my fault - I rely on the others too much, or I'm so thankful for adult conversation that I forget to intervene when little tempers flare. Partly it's the children, too. This is especially true if Kevin's around; Peter sometimes needs Kevin's attention in a way that isn't always compatible with fun, independent exploring.
We'd visit the garden more if it weren't so expensive. There's the parking and the toll and the obligatory train-and-carousel rides (which are enjoyed so much it's impossible to say no), not to mention the $5 stuffed animals that my children tend to shoplift.*
A few things we enjoyed at the garden:
splashing in the water
kid-sized sinks
jumping rope and hula-hooping
the train!
playing in the sand
hide and seek
tasting herbs and sour grapes
*OK, so this happened once, and accidentally at that. Lucy was showing a stuffed bear to Thomas and one became stuck in his stroller. I didn't notice until we were across the street, up the elevator, two children strapped in the car. Although, before we stopped taking the children to stores, I'd thought about posting a regular feature - stuff Lucy steals. She's walked away with a few little things in her short years.
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