Category: Our Travels

Is it just me or is playing with elephant poop just about the strangest activity the Woodland Park Zoo, or any zoo for that matter, could possibly offer?  When you go for a nice afternoon at the zoo there is no opportunity to ride on the humps of camels, play patty cake with lionesses, swing from the branches with primates, run with gazelles, or swim with the sharks, but don’t worry folks because they have something much much better in store for your children.

They have the excrement of elephants!

And because here in Seattle, we don’t want to let anything go to waste — not even waste itself —  what better thing to do than throw together a feces craft for kids?  As gross as that might sound, I gotta say, I’m tracking with the good folks at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo on this one!

I mean, it’s not every day that you can get the waste of a 4000 pound animal all over your hands and come out feeling good about it.

I can come up with a couple of names for this activity.  I’m thinking crappy craft, feces fun — you get the idea.  At the Woodland Park Zoo, however, they call it Elephant Poo Paper Making.

Woodland Park Zoo Elephant Poo Paper Making Craft

Look at this feisty little girl!!!  I love it when people don’t mind getting down and dirty — Proud moment for this mama!

Although they have “sterilized” the poo, the idea of playing with elephant dung isn’t the most pleasant thought for most people.  Thankfully none of our kids have weak stomachs so this was a fun afternoon activity to do after we visited other parts of the zoo.

The African Village at the Woodland Park Zoo

I can’t wait until we can take our kids to the real Africa.  That will be such a treat!  In the meantime we will have to enjoy a little more time at the African Village at the Woodland Park Zoo and get our hands dirty making beautiful, rough edged paper.  I didn’t get a picture of the final product.  It turned out lovely:)

What do you think? Would you let your kids play with elephant poo?

You don’t always know what you’re in for when you take your kids to a museum.  So, when we were on our way to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, we wondered: Will it be worth the effort?  Will the kids show resistance?  Will we just end up dodging staff who are shushing our rowdy children?

I mean, maybe your kids are saints in these environments, but mine have yet to reach that celestial status, so we tend to hold our breath a bit as we pull up our bootstraps and head for the entrances of these types of establishments.

And you know what?  Other than a meltdown at the end of our tour from our littlest, we had a lot of fun at the Museum of Flight.  There were some parts of the museum that were set up for the kids to play and explore and then others – like the World War exhibits – where they needed to slow down and  show a little more restraint out of respect for the material they were interacting with.

 The Airplanes at the Museum of Flight

The Museum of Flight is basically an aviator aficionado’s paradise.  But, if you are like me & my kids and know nothing about the history of aviation, you will enjoy it too.  The sheer number of airplanes on display is mind blowing.  So many different styles and eras are included.  It’s cool to see how aviation has evolved over time!

The exhibits are hands on and easy to understand for those of us not in the know.

Hop into the cock pit and pretend for a minute that you are in charge of the airplane!

Take a look at this bad boy!  The Blackbird aka the Mother Ship.  The M-21 is a variant of the A-12, which is the earliest Blackbird type. Built for a CIA, this aircraft – the M-21 – carried unpiloted drones to gather intelligence.  I mean, really, this is a thing of beauty!

Museum of Flight for Kids

Like many museums, the Museum of Flight is an educational goldmine.  They even have an entire portion of the space dedicated to children.  Hands on displays and simulators are just a couple of things that the kids enjoyed while we were there.  Little flyers can test their piloting abilities and strap in for a hang gliding simulation.

C’mon!  That’s cool.

Museum of Flight WWI & WWII Wings

With a decidedly somber feel, these exhibits are likely to impact you.  It is just so insane the price people paid and the amount of people that died in those wars.

If you have little ones, you will want to gauge when the best time is to stop in to these wings.  We miscalculated, and by the time we got around to it, our little one was in melt down mode.

It’s a bummer because it is here that you can explore the aircraft, interactive exhibits and history of “the war to end all wars.” And learn what it took to be a fighter pilot and the tactics used during the wars.  My favorite, although I was hurried, were the personal stories of the fallen heroes from around the world.

The Space Exhibit at the Museum of Flight

We especially enjoyed the space exhibit.  It was fascinating to learn how things have changed for astronauts over the last few decades.  From what they eat to what they wear.  The food pouches, suits, and stories really gave us a feel for what it is like for them.

I liked the Museum of Flight so much, I’d like to go back.  Actually, it would make for a great date with my man.  That way we could really slow down and read more of the history and take it all in without the chili beans underfoot!

While there is plenty to do for younger kids, if you are looking to benefit from all that the museum has to offer it would be best if your kids were a little older.  Just keeping it real!

Let me know if you decide to go yourself.  I’d love to hear what you thought!  Also, don’t forget to flash your military card or AAA card for a 10% discount when you go. 🙂