The Santa Fe Children's Museum

On Tuesday I went to the Santa Fe Children's Museum with my friend Michaela, her son, John, and Calvin. Calvin wasn't feeling well, his asthma was bothering him, and so he cried the whole time I tried to install John's carseat, and was grumpy all the way down. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to go and have fun.

As soon as we got there he was ready to play. The boys ran right past the admissions desk before we even paid. Calvin was yelling "Ball!" "Fish!" And running from a rollercoaster track for pool balls to a fish tank. There was a mirror station where we could paint our own faces. I put stars and hearts on our cheeks and he yelled "Stars STars STars!" when he saw himself.

The best thing about the museum was that it was kind of messy, and you don't have to feel bad about the mess that your kid is making (because he's learning). Calvin found a concrete pool and water fountain system that was full of boats and rubber duckies. He loved throwing the sharks and octopi in the water. I gave him an apron to wear, but he still got so drenched that I had to buy him a t-shirt and borrow a pair of shorts.

John, who's three, was really into the bubbles. There was a tractor tire in the middle of the floor full of soapy water. Kids stood in the middle of it and pulled a string that was attached to a metal ring in the water, and it made a bubble that surrounded their bodies.

(Calvin also liked the bubbles, but he wanted to put his face in the soapy water so I had to keep him away from them).

After lunch we went outside, where there was a sand pit, lots of little huts and a music area where there were instruments made out of planks, pipes and hubcaps.