Gentlemommy Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Dh worked all night last night and came home at 9 am, exhausted. I figured the only way he was going to get any rest was if I took the kiddos out of the house. There is a mountain reserve nearby that I've been wanting to check out (we just moved to the area a few months ago), so we went on an adventure today. It. Was. Amazing!!!!! The welcome center is huge and gorgeous. They have a fully stocked resource room with all kinds of wonderful things- A nature table, weaving looms, woodland creature puppets, tree trunk blocks, nature puzzles, a bunch of nature board games, videos, models of flowers, butterflies, ect. They have a touch table with birds nests, snake skins, antlers, feathers, bark, ect. There is a wonderful library with a ton of books-hiking trails, all different species of animals, story books, nature guides, rocks, trees, ect. As we were looking at everything inside, I worried my kids were being disruptive, we were the only ones there so it was quiet lol. I asked to make sure we were ok, and the lady was so excited that we were actually there and using the space. Sadly, she says it's rare. So, we decided to go on the trail. I thought the indoor area was so incredible, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. A whole outdoor area just for kids. It was like a Waldorf wonderland lol. Natural materials were used to build everything. Kids had painted rocks and lined the pathways with them. There were sandbox areas, bird feeder areas, and the best, an area with tons of wood scraps the kids could use to build. Some of the wood was notched, like giant life sized Lincoln logs. Some was slices of trunks, thick branches, parts and pieces. The kids built an amazing house they could all fit in. They set up a table and chairs, 'hunted bears' and played Little House for hours. On the side of the kids area, it dipped down, and they had put a slide right there into the mountain face lol. They slid down and landed in a pile of leaves. After a few hours, we went on the trail. We came across a huge tree house, a roughly made bridge over a tiny stream, and a fairy garden path with some of the sweetest little fairy homes. It was all so magical! As we were about to leave, I posted a picture on FB, and saw that a mom from the HS group we joined here was going to a cafe near our house. She asked if anyone could meet, and I took a chance and said we would go. I am very introverted and meeting new people is hard. Nevertheless, we went. Oh my word. The cafe was amazing. All organic food, delicious, and cheap! And the best part? The family that owns it home schools! Super cool. The other mom and I talked for a few hours, we have a lot in common and our kids got along great! They brought a game to share, so the girls all played and had a wonderful time. Im so glad I took the chance and met a new family, I'm hoping we get to do it again soon. Anyway, just thought I'd share our wonderful day with others who would appreciate it lol. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcap Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sounds amazing! What a great day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sounds terrific. It is so exciting when you find somewhere the kids love to go to that has so much to do. Go you on going to the cafe, I know how hard it is to do things like that, but like you I am more often glad I did it, than not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 It's Sawnee mountain http://www.sawneemountain.org So beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 My sister lives a few minutes from there and my folks moved nearby two years ago. The area is beautiful and it's a great place to hike. Sounds like you had a great day!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Wow, what a wonderful day! Thank you for sharing it with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 What an amazing day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Wow that sounds Awesome! I wish we had something like that close by. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 What a fun day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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