The Franklin Institue

A couple of weekends ago I took Connor out for a "Fun Day." His birthday was in June and at the time I had a lot going on... you know my Mom getting a new kidney nothing big or anything...{sarcasm} Since I'm the gift buyer of the household I figured I'd do an I OWE YOU. I printed out a nice page saying we would go to Franklin Square a really neat playground and miniature putt golf course but it was too hot and humid. So we opted for The Franklin Institute. I haven't visited the museum for at least five or six years since the Body Works exhibit. We had a great time!!

I really enjoy buying gifts that keep on giving or creating memories. I hate to purchase toys that won't be used in a month or so. I generally like to buy something that has some shelf value or can say "remember when we..."

Here are some photos to show!

~paper making~

The first thing that Connor was able to do was make some paper! It was pretty neat. I made a piece too! I think he wasn't so sure about a few things at first so Aunt Steph had to try them out first!

~heart beats~

This station allowed you to press the buttons and hear the various heart beats! It was actually pretty neat because above and to the left it showed you what the hearts looked like! It was a pretty neat sight to see and hear!

~ we survived the heart~

One of my favorite childhood memories was going through the Heart exhibit. You could walk around the whole inside. A few years ago they remodeled the heart, it didn't look any different to me! I also had a five year old on my hip! He was too scared. I wasn't a. letting him stand alone while I went through it and b. I knew he would be fine! So he jumped on my hip and I carried his little bootie around  the heart. He enjoyed I think... I know I was happy to go in it plus I mean he can learn to see things!

~driving an airplane~

Next we made it into the "flight" area. Captain Connor took us on a flight! We flew the plane all around. He was pulling the throttle all the way down! We had a great time flying in the plane.

~flying aunt steph~

 My turn!! Connor wanted to see me "fly" first before he would walk into the human airplane exhibit. It was really neat! I turned my camera phone on for him and let him snap a photo of me! Hehe! It was a good time.

~ connor's turn~

Last but not least! The Train Room! We had to take a ride on the train! Connor was the Captain for for the steam! A little girl on the other side had the whistle! I enjoyed this too! Brought back childhood memories for me!

We had a great day at the Franklin Institute. Lots of other great hands on things to do. I picked the good pictures for the blog! We enjoyed the rest of the museum too! Everything except the planetarium, it wasn't open when we went to go through it. For future reference I'll know we can bring in our own lunch and what not. We shared chicken fingers and fries so I didn't go broke and I knew he would never eat an adult portion by himself! No kids menu! 

We left the great city of Philadelphia with the top down! Connor thought that was pretty cool. He wanted my sunglasses though. He didn't have his and I said sorry buddy I need to see to drive. It was also a little windy on the Ben Franklin Bridge! I agreed with him when he let me know it was loud and windy! Before I dropped him off to his house I figured I'd sugar him up with an ice cream cone! It was a nice treat to end our day! I love making memories :)