Tuesday, June 21, 2011

San Diego Children's Museum

Today, I accompanied my eight year old granddaughter to the San Diego Children's Museum in Downtown San Diego. This museum affords children, from toddlers to teenagers, hands-on creative experiences. As we ventured through the three-story building, my granddaughter headed for the large zebra in the center. We entered it from the third floor and were able to see all around the building. Then, she painted on large rock-like structures, created a felt penguin and left it on the story wall, created bubbles with large hand-made wire wands, and experienced a rain house.

Then, off we went to lunch. As long as we kept our Museum stickers on, we could re-enter the museum when we returned. We checked out Cafe222 on Island and Second Avenues. After perusing the menu, we decided to eat there. My granddaughter chose Orange Juice and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Caesar Salad. I had coffee and a bowl of chili. The Grilled Cheese got a "thumbs up." But, so did my chili when she tasted it (a number of times). She immediately made plans to return for the chili, which I thought was very tasty, as well. There was plenty of chopped meat as well as fresh tomatoes. Then, my granddaughter offered me a crouton from her salad. "It's great and tastes homemade." As the daughter of a chef, she is quite savvy when it comes to food. This restaurant was featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." Apparently, Bobby Flay liked the Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast. I would like to try that as well.

After a hearty lunch, we returned to the Children's Museum where we re-visited the Zebra in the air. My granddaughter had eyed the chariots propelled by a hand pump earlier in the day and now that the area was quiet she decided to try it out. Then we went down to the lower level where she was able to go into a long tunnel what was really like a "jumpy house." After she enjoyed a few minutes in that, she sat at an easel and drew a picture. It was then I wished I had brought my camera. All I could see from my vantage point was the top of her head and long legs and sneakers. Then, up we went to the third floor again. After roaming around for a short while, she settled at a large table that would accommodate eight to ten children. The table was filled with different small logs and blocks for building. She was able to build a tower about three and one-half feet tall. As it grew higher than she could reach, she stood on a stool and continued building. Then, she decided she was finished and was going to leave it. I pointed out the smaller children who had also joined her, making their own creations. What if her tower fell on one of them? So, after warning the children and their mothers, my granddaughter pushed the tower over and it collapsed on the table. Everyone enjoyed watching it fall. This brought our fun day to an end.

Check out my photos at http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/PhotosbyCathi/Scenery

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