A mystical thing occurred this past Monday. Both Steven and I had off from work. I had decided weeks ago that we were going to use this day to visit the Animal Grossology special exhibit at the NC Museum of Sciences. I had heard about this travelling exhibit a couple of years ago, but didn't know if it would ever make its way to us. Then there's the fact that at the time I didn't have children and would have had to do a little more convincing to get Steven to go with me. If nothing else, Edmund is a good excuse to be a kid again. OK he's a million times more than that, but you get my point.
The exhibit was nice, but a little pricey for what it had to offer. I have a feeling the admission price goes to maintenance, and as the rest of the museum is entirely free it was worth it. The exhibit was free for children under 5, however. Score! There aren't many things Edmund gets into free these days, so we felt like we hit the jackpot.
When you first enter the exhibit you are greeted by an animatronic parrot. In fact animatronic insects and creatures abound in this exhibit. Much to my pleasure Edmund wasn't freaked out by these moving creatures as he is all other robots. Edmund is beyond terrified of anything Buzz Lightyear now all because of an animatronic Buzz Lightyear that sprang to life one day during a Target excursion. I think we'll be holding off on seeing Toy Story for awhile.
Edmund decided to check out an interactive quiz show on slimy creatures first. He was shocked to learn that some types of sea cucumbers can shoot their intestines out their rear ends when scared. Edmund chuckled when I mentioned he should try that the next time he sees Buzz Lightyear. Mommy was champion at the slimy creatures quiz show. Perhaps I shouldn't mention I only won because I messed up and hit the wrong button to record my answer. But the computers don't know that, so I'm still champion.
After learning about all things slimy we went to learn about all things poo. And what things we learned! But I'll spare you readers. Edmund then immediately headed to a submarine display. He dutifully took his shoes off before entering as he had been instructed by the docent. Of the hour we spent in the exhibit, Edmund spent 45 minutes of his time here. Inside the submarine there were facts on a variety of sea creatures such as coral, eels, and jellyfish. Edmund, being the two year old he is, was most taken with the captain's wheel and portholes. The submarine had a giant eel attached to it. One could climb up the eel's intestines, then slide out the eel's mouth. I tried to encourage Edmund to slide by testing it out myself first. The eel slide was awesome. Too bad my child has no interest in tunnel slides. Did I mention I knew that before I tested out the eel?
The great part about Edmund's intense interest in the submarine was that Steven and I could take turns exploring the entire exhibit. We were able to see just about everything in an hour. Steven and I learned about everything from animal scents to hairballs to tapeworms. We did encourage Edmund to leave the submarine to come up for air briefly. During his short stint back on land he found a station describing the male Darwin's frog. This frog carries its freshly hatched tadpoles in its mouth until they are full-fledged froglets, then burps them out. In order to demonstrate this phenomenon, young patrons can play a Darwin's Frog pinball type game entitled Belch-A-Baby. The object is to get the froglet (green ball) into one of the holes in the pond. Landing in a bird's mouth is not the object of this game. Not only did most of Edmund's froglets meet their demise, but when they did he would shout Carolina wins. I suppose we have a little work to do when it comes to our son's science knowledge. However, I think he's got sports down.
After the Carolina basketball game, er frog simulation game, we let Edmund spend a few more minutes in the submarine. Edmund finished his time at Animal Grossology in the gift shop where he chose to purchase a fifty cent sticky frog. That frog has since been found on our couch, coffee table, and floor. It's anyone's guess as to where the frog finds itself next. I'm hoping I don't end up with a sticky frog in my mouth anytime soon. The Darwin's frog wouldn't find it gross, but as for Edmund's Mommy that's an entirely different matter.
*We are such lazy parents. We forgot the camera. It was very dark in the exhibit, so the pictures wouldn't have been good anyway. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it. However, you can google Animal Grossology images and see where Edmund had his latest adventure.
