Marshy Point Nature Center

 Today we checked another item off of our to-do list and visited the Marshy Point Nature Center in Chase, MD (for those of you that aren't locals, it's in the Middle River area... about 10 minutes from White Marsh). I've seen several friends post pictures recently and have really wanted to take the boys. Since summer is coming to abrupt end at the end of this weekend and the weather was beautiful, we couldn't resist doing something outdoors!

We spent the first portion of our visit in the Nature Center itself. It is filled with local animals (turtles, chatty birds, mice, snakes, opposums, and more). The boys are excited about an eel in this picture. In addition to animals they have several activities/centers for kids.

The staff could not have been sweeter. They were excited to talk to the boys and even went out of their way to pull out critters for the boys to see close up and pet. Not only did they get to pet the friendly opposum Virginia seen in the above picture, but they also got to pet a milk snake. The staff was careful to point out that in the wild you wouldn't want to touch a real opossum. This one has been in captivity since it was a baby (it's mother was hit by a car). Since it is used to people it was very friendly!

Part of the Nature Center includes a "Kid's Corner." Blake enjoyed playing with the toys and looking through the books.

After visiting the Nature Center we took a hike along one of the trails at Marshy Point. I was scared to take the long trail (blue/red) because our last trail experience did not go too well. I asked the boys if they wanted to do a long or short one and they both voted for the long one. I explained that once we started we couldn't turn around! Suprisingly it went  extremely well. We picked up a pocket guide and along the trail are numbered stops that  the pocket guide explains (specific trees, plants, a fox den, a tidal creek... to name a few). The boys really got into this process and were excited to find each marker. On our hike Blake spotted a turtle (that Caleb and I missed). Caleb couldn't resist picking it up! He learned quite a few new words today: estuary, nocturnal, and metamorphosis. Be sure to quiz him the next time you see him!

By the end of the hike the boys' pockets were filled with acorns, pine cones, and other treasures. While I am not an outdoorsy person (I often joke that roughing it for me would be staying at the Days Inn), I am trying to step way out of my comfort zone to give the boys as many experiences as I possibly can. I know this trip was a total success as both boys are currently napping! We hope to go back in September for their fall festival!

Tips:

• You can borrow an exploration bookbag from the Nature Center to use along the trails. I saw various bookbags, including one for collecting bugs.
• The Nature Center is open from 9:00-5:00.
• The blue trail into the red trail is the longest and is about 1.5 miles (or maybe more by the time you walk from the end of the trail to the parking lot) and took about 90 minutes. We took our time and tried to search for critters and learn as much as we could. There are other shorter trails.
• If you decide to do the trails, be sure to pick up a guide book at the beginning of the blue trail and follow along. It made the experience so much more interesting!
• There are picnic tables available at the Nature Center and one in a field of the Blue trail if you wanted to bring a lunch.
• COST=FREE
• See their webpage at www.marshypoint.org for more details! They also have a facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marshy-Point-Nature-Center/270787291581?ref=ts

The Philadelphia Zoo

Every year for the boys' birthdays our in-laws get us a membership to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. As a part of the membership you can get free or discounted admission to a list of reciprocal zoos (see http://www.marylandzoo.org/membership/reciprocal-lists/) and I have a few of them on our "to-do" list. This past weekend we decided to take a random, unplanned trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. Some of our best day trips are the ones where we wake up on a Saturday morning and decide to go somewhere new. The Philadelphia Zoo was an extremely pleasant surprise! It is by far the nicest zoo we have taken the boys to.

The Philadelphia Zoo is located on the outer edge of Philadelphia and less than 2 hours from Baltimore. The Zoo is extremely clean, there are a bunch of brand new or recently updated exhibits, and the layout of the zoo is perfect.

The current exhibit is called the Trail of the Lorax. Throughout the Zoo are special places to stop and use 3-D glasses to read special messages about saving the Earth and see special pictures. Caleb, our excited reader, enjoyed reading the messages!

One of our favorite exhibits was the PECO Primate Reserve. This two-story, brand new, state of the art building gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with gorillas and other primates. The boys enjoyed sitting inside this box and watching a gorilla in action, just a few feet away.

Throughout the Zoo are many opportunities for silly photos, a favorite of our family!

Seeing these hippos was special, as other zoos we have visited have not had hippos.

We enjoyed getting up close and personal with the giraffes!

The Zoo has many attractions (that we avoided to keep costs down) including a hot air balloon ride, camel rides, swan boat rides, and train ride.

Other exhibits/things of note:

• Be sure to see the FREE 4-D Migration Experience in the McNeil Avian Center. This 15 minute presentation is about a cartoon Oriole bird Otis and his flight from Philadelphia to South America and back. It included wind (as it was raining) and other fun special effects!
• Arrive early and park in the Zebra parking lot, the closest lot to the zoo.
• Bear Country includes several bears and is another great stop. We enjoyed the polar bear keeper chat.
• The naked mole rats in the Rare Animal Conservation Center were very entertaining!
• You can bring in outside food/beverages (which is the best way to go!), but if you choose to eat at the Zoo there is a healthy food vendor by the pond.
• Join the MD Zoo and you get a 50% off discount.

Again, we were very impressed by the Philadelphia Zoo and will be going back one day!

Hands-on House, Children's Museum

Last weekend we finally made it to the Hands-on House in Lancaster, PA! It's been on the "to-do" list for a long time!

 At church there was a recent sermon on having family sabbath days. Days where you enjoy each other and do something that each of you would like to do. The Hands-on House was Caleb's choice for this sabbath day! (He specifically said, "I want to go to a children's museum!")

 There are many exhibits good for kids ages 2-8 (in my opinion). In this area there is a fan that kids turn on to blow the ships across. Caleb enjoyed figuring out that shape/size of the sail that was the best for getting the boat to move quicker.

 Another favorite was the Face Painting Porch. Blake decided that he didn't want to, but of course Caleb jumped right in! I think Daddy may have a future in this!

 Another area was a fishing pond. What I like is that the kids were encouraged to measure their fish using the ruler seen in this picture. Then if the fish was too short they were to throw it back. If the fish was long enough, they threw it in a nearby bucket.

 One area was all about farming, a favorite topic for our boys. In this area pretend chickens lay eggs and kids put the good ones through and the bad ones in a special container.

 Blake enjoyed pretending to plow a field!

 Another favorite was Marty's Machine Shop where Caleb went through a production line step through step to create a toy. It was a great exercise in following directions!

 I would recommend going when the weather is good, as there is an awesome outdoor playground/discovery area.

Some of the other exhibits include a post office, grocery store, make believe area, pirate ship, and more! As an elementary school teacher I appreciated how learning on everything from reading to math was "snuck" in to all of the exhibits!

The Hands-on House is located in West Lancaster. It's about an 80 minute drive from Baltimore. Admission is reasonable at $8.50 a person. I could not find any discounts/coupons. There are countless things for kids to do in Lancaster and a trip to the Hands-on House could be part of a fantastic day trip!