March 25

We recently took a weekend trip to Washington, D.C. with my mom. It was the kids' first visit and I hadn't been in 15 years. We decided to visit the National Museum of Natural History because it looks liked the museum that we would all enjoy most. Now, I'm kind of a nerd about natural history museums having had a membership to the AMNH as a teenager. The kids and I agree that NMNH may have been even cooler.  We explored for hours only leaving before closing time because I had evening plans.

My proudest moment occurred in the Hall of Human Origins. Back when we first started to homeschool, I let the kids lead the way with science. I would ask if they had any science related questions they would like answered and make a list. I answered each person's question on a different day. That entailed doing research online, and finding books and videos about whatever the topic at hand was. I can't say I was surprised when Wren and Finch asked about the history of humans. It's something they've always found amazing. (Who doesn't?) All three kiddos became fascinated by Lucy's story and ended up spending a few days learning more about her. You can only imagine how delighted we were when we found an exhibit about Lucy tucked into a corner of the hall. I think my mom was a little shocked (but not much) and pleased when they started spouting off facts and generally gushing right there in the museum. And I had that feeling again. The "I made the right decision and this is totally awesome!" one.