Monday, February 19, 2007

MG Meets Elmo in the OC (Tony Blogs)

On the weekends, Maiya usually ends up doing what we’re doing. She’s usually along for the ride when we’re at community events, shopping, kicking back, etc. So when Jenni said we needed to start planning more of our days around Maiya, I had to agree. So today we drove on down to the Orange County Discovery Science Center for the traveling exhibit, Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Within the Science Center, there’s a Sesame Street themed, child-friendly take on the body and its functions. Pretty cool stuff for young kids.

We weren’t the only parents spending the day with their kid. The place was packed. The line for tickets was long, but luckily moved fast. Once inside, parked strollers were herded together like a drive-in movie. Older kids darted here and there and one 6-year old girl slid in front of me and took over the exhibit joystick I was working. I was powerless. Adults were merely traffic cones to be avoided. Teams of toddlers ran the first floor and the under 10 crowd controlled the second. Think suburban “Lord of the Flies” meets “Romper Room” with 1/2 the lights on and 4-times the kids—but in a nice way.

Highlights for Maiya were shopping for toy vegetables and fruits at Mr. Hooper’s grocery store, running through the soft-padded obstacle course for kids under five, and pressing the buttons at all the exhibits, even if she was too short to see what they were actually doing.

After about an hour and a half, we made it out alive, resisting the onsite clutches of Pizza Hut Express and Taco Bell. We also didn’t have any meltdowns leaving the gift shop. We ended on a high note with the family taking a picture with a Bert, from Bert & Ernie fame. He’s much taller in person.

Our next outing will probably be to the LA County Museum of Natural History where I just got a family membership through The HeArt Project. We also need to check out the Museum of Science and Industry. And of course there’s the LA Zoo. If you have any ideas about places to take toddlers around Southern California, let us know.

1 comment:

Lisa said...

"Adults were merely traffic cones to be avoided." Wonderful description! Looks like wonderful fun.