Party Time - A Brainy Party!

So, if you follow me on Facebook, you might have noticed that I pretty much went off radar for the weekend, because we had a big framily (close friends and family) party for my little two...who I guess are getting to be not so little anymore.  Sigh.

My youngest two have birthdays a week apart, so we just have the party for both of them, but sometimes, deciding on a party theme is rough.  This year, my son wanted Thomas the Tank Engine, and my daughter wanted zombies.  They discussed amongst themselves and told me that they had decided that we should have a Thomas the Zombie Tank Engine Party.  Ummmm...

Yeah, I was not up to that creative challenge this time of year.  So I started showing them ideas of cool projects we could do, things that I thought they might like, and we decided on this "Use your Brain" party.  A little art, a little science, a lot of fun.

And I mean a LOT of fun!  We had so much fun, that I decided to share the activities with you here.

Discovery World, Milwaukee

In case you don't know, I'm a Chicagoland gal.  And, for as much as I love the farms and my soul is bonded to the land, I also completely adore the offerings of a city as great as Chicago.  I'm also a bit of an experience junkie, and I love exploring museums with my kids.  Chicago has a ton of great museums, including the Museum of Science and Industry, which we visit so often that we have a family membership.

One of the great parts of our membership is that it gives us reciprocal privileges at many other science museums around the country.  So, when we found ourselves looking for something to do in Milwaukee, we decided to check out one of those museums: Discovery World.

Discovery World is located right on the shore of Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee.  It's 120,000 square feet of amazing discoveries.  From the moment you step inside, you are immersed in innovation.  Science and art combined to create an intriguing environment that you can't help but explore.  Interactive exhibits are practically falling over each other to draw you in, to teach you their lessons, to let you experience their offerings.

Art + Nature + Indianapolis = 100 Acres

When you think of cities full of great art, I'd be willing to bet that Indianapolis isn't one of the top ten to cross your mind.  Maybe not even top 20.  But if you want a place to enjoy art and nature with your family, Indy has a fantastic place to go!

The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres is right off of 38th Street, not far from the highway, and connected to the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  It's simply amazing!  A park filled with art that you can interact with, connect with, and fully enjoy.  In fact, it's one of the largest museum art parks in the country!  

My husband used to have an annual show to attend in Indianapolis for his work, so the kids and I would tag along for the hotel room, and then have fun adventures in the city while he was busy working the show.  Unfortunately, that hasn't happened in a couple of years, but fortunately, we managed to get back there for a long weekend this past spring break.  100 Acres was on our list of places we loved and knew we couldn't miss visiting again.  In fact, my youngest (who was 3 the last time we were there), heard that we were going to Indianapolis and ran to pack his basketball...because he remembered this park.

So, what does basketball have to do with art?

St. Louis Adventures - City Museum

If you could live in my head, I imagine that it would look a lot like City Museum.  It's eclectic, it's creative, it surprises you, it has its' dark sides, it's filled with joy and excitement, it's always changing and evolving, and you never know what you're going to find.  Maybe that's why City Museum is one of my favorite places that I've ever visited.