Yesterday I took the kids on a trip to an A-MAZ-ING place. I heard about it through word-of-mouth and did not even know it was almost in my backyard. It is a botanical garden with a focus on literacy for kids...the best of both worlds for adults and kids to enjoy! The concept was a little difficult for me to imagine until we actually experienced it...it far exceeded my expectations!
The gardens were divided into several different sections, with each section focusing on books with similar natural themes...farm, woodlands, wetlands, etc. There would be a stone pillar at the entrance to each section, with a metal door that the kids could open which revealed laminated books that the kids could pull out and look at or have read to them.
Then as you walked into that section of the garden, you would discover a special display for each of the books contained in the stone pillar. This was the first one we read
Harry the Dirty Dog. I remember this one from when I was little and Sam really enjoyed it...esp. when he got to sit next to the statue of Harry that we discovered!
The girls quite enjoyed all of the things they could explore too...and there were SO many, it was wonderful!
Sam even got to see some construction being done on a new part of the garden...can't WAIT to discover it next summer!
I was so happy that I could let them wander, pretty much to their hearts' content...
There were colorful chairs to sit on...
Beautiful displays to touch and explore...
Things to climb on or through...
Music to be played...
Dogs to be petted...
Did I mentioned absolutely colorful and beautiful displays??? Each one representing a specific children's book.
There was even a huge tree-house...it was incredible...a deck built out into the trees...a wonderful place to sit and take in the rest of the gardens...
or to explore some more:)
There was a little wooden cabin the kids could go in (from Little House on the Prarie) with a dirt floor, a little wooden table and chairs, and a bucket with shells in for the kids to touch and hold.
This display was from the 3 Little Bears...SO cute and fun! These bears were about 8 feet tall and guess where baby bear was??? Climbing UP in the tree! (therefore not in this picture)
Winnie the Pooh's house...all 3 of my kiddos managed to literally squeeze into here, even though it was quite small:)
Doors and gates to be opened and closed...
Tables to sit at to take a break...
An amazing barn for the farm themed area, where Sam had to find Charolette and her web. Inside of it were a bunch of interactive things for the kids to explore, like a fun old typewriter for the
Click Clack Moo book. There was even a vegetable garden out front and an old water pump with watering cans.
The girls had so much fun exploring all of these new things. Here Mollie found a "bug" (I didn't even know she knew that word! on a flower.
Here they loved all of the different flower textures in the butterfly garden. So did I! I would love one like this somewhere in my yard someday!
Sam enjoyed this book we've never read yet either.
Then had fun looking at the fish in the pond!
And the best part for Sam was an actual school bus the kids could get on and drive and they could even use the lever to open and close the front door. There was a constant line for this!
What an amazing concept turned into such a beautiful place. We will go here again and again I think. I realized how many books I want to share with Sam that I read when I was little and want him to be familiar with too. We read a lot, but often just read what he has, with a few trips to the library to grab what looks fun on display. But now I will be hunting for more of these classic stories that I want to share with my kids.
Frizzy, Yaya would LOVE this place and we'll take you here when you visit us sometime...no pressure:)
The gardens were divided into several different sections, with each section focusing on books with similar natural themes...farm, woodlands, wetlands, etc. There would be a stone pillar at the entrance to each section, with a metal door that the kids could open which revealed laminated books that the kids could pull out and look at or have read to them.
Then as you walked into that section of the garden, you would discover a special display for each of the books contained in the stone pillar. This was the first one we read Harry the Dirty Dog. I remember this one from when I was little and Sam really enjoyed it...esp. when he got to sit next to the statue of Harry that we discovered!
The girls quite enjoyed all of the things they could explore too...and there were SO many, it was wonderful!
Sam even got to see some construction being done on a new part of the garden...can't WAIT to discover it next summer!
I was so happy that I could let them wander, pretty much to their hearts' content...
There were colorful chairs to sit on...
Beautiful displays to touch and explore...
Things to climb on or through...
Music to be played...
Dogs to be petted...
Did I mentioned absolutely colorful and beautiful displays??? Each one representing a specific children's book.
There was even a huge tree-house...it was incredible...a deck built out into the trees...a wonderful place to sit and take in the rest of the gardens...
or to explore some more:)
There was a little wooden cabin the kids could go in (from Little House on the Prarie) with a dirt floor, a little wooden table and chairs, and a bucket with shells in for the kids to touch and hold.
This display was from the 3 Little Bears...SO cute and fun! These bears were about 8 feet tall and guess where baby bear was??? Climbing UP in the tree! (therefore not in this picture)
Winnie the Pooh's house...all 3 of my kiddos managed to literally squeeze into here, even though it was quite small:)
Doors and gates to be opened and closed...
Tables to sit at to take a break...
An amazing barn for the farm themed area, where Sam had to find Charolette and her web. Inside of it were a bunch of interactive things for the kids to explore, like a fun old typewriter for the Click Clack Moo book. There was even a vegetable garden out front and an old water pump with watering cans.
The girls had so much fun exploring all of these new things. Here Mollie found a "bug" (I didn't even know she knew that word! on a flower.
Here they loved all of the different flower textures in the butterfly garden. So did I! I would love one like this somewhere in my yard someday!
Sam enjoyed this book we've never read yet either.
Then had fun looking at the fish in the pond!
And the best part for Sam was an actual school bus the kids could get on and drive and they could even use the lever to open and close the front door. There was a constant line for this!
What an amazing concept turned into such a beautiful place. We will go here again and again I think. I realized how many books I want to share with Sam that I read when I was little and want him to be familiar with too. We read a lot, but often just read what he has, with a few trips to the library to grab what looks fun on display. But now I will be hunting for more of these classic stories that I want to share with my kids.
Frizzy, Yaya would LOVE this place and we'll take you here when you visit us sometime...no pressure:)
2 comments:
Yes WE WOULD LOVE THAT PLACE! I hope to get out there soon. I PROMISE and no I didn't feel pressured. NO more than I already have placed on getting there myself. I love those frames! What an awesome place to have Sr pictures taken or family pictures taken for that matter. LOVE IT!
Wonderful! In Sheboygan.. not too far at all! Look at those girls getting big!
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