Exploration Sunday

I forget, from time to time, that the best part of being a kid is exploration.

Everything is new to Munchkins. Everything.

They're too young yet to think that it's uncool to be enthused about art or classical music or ancient greek literature (sidenote: Percy Jackson & the Olympian's The Lightning Thief MAY in fact be too mature of a movie for a three-year-old. Oops)

So Sunday I piled The Munchkin crew into the car and off we went to explore our city a bit.

First Stop: The IMA's new ArtPark.

This place has a come-and-climb-on-me vibe, and that's just what we did. We scaled most of the structures we found. And, my kids, being the total hambones that they are, insisted on having their picture taken on pretty much each thing we found. We got dusty and dirty and hot and sweaty and it was glorious. We talked about the Hows and Whys of it...the reason social settings play into the creation of a sculpture just as much as the materials do... and their little spongey brains just soaked it all up and spit back out more questions.

I think sometimes, as parents (and lord knows I'M guilty of this) we don't give our kids enough credit. They are dying for us to challenge them with new ideas, new experiences... I'm making it a point to be more mindful of this, and not brush of questions of "How?" and "Why?" with glib Mommy-answers. And, as a side bonus? They were exHAUSted that night. Score.