The Preschool Dilemma

As my daughter hurls towards preschool age faster than I would like I am plagued by the preschool dilemma. Is it worth it to put her in school? Can I teach her all that she needs to know her at home? Can I give her the social environment she needs without being in school? Did I really need to be on a list for a decent school before she was even born?

There are parents who spend years working to get their kids into a good school and I commend them, but it terrifies me to think that I could put that much time in and end up not having it even be a great school. Or I could spend two years trying to get her into the school and she ends up hating it. Not to mention the thousands of dollars that could end up being spent before her 5th birthday.

Than the one thing that plagues me most...what is she going to learn while she's there? Will the school even live up to what it claims, or will I spend all this time, money and effort on glorified daycare. So many questions without answers and as I've asked myself these questions every day lately I have time and time again come to the same conclusion.

Teach her myself.

In searching for the right choice for us, I've come across the co-op preschool. I am diving full force into the unknown and attempting to start my own co-op. I have two parents ready to go along with me.

Now is the time to figure out if I need to get licensed, do I charge, how often the parents need to be involved? It's scary, but this year will be the test. Can I do it? Can I grow and build a school that will maintain itself beyond my kids?

The easy part is what I want to teach the kids. Science, skepticism, critical thinking, will all be a part of our day at the school.

Hopefully I can get a few local freethinking preschoolers to join us to expand our class size a bit. :)

Now for a name...

Noah's Ark at the Skirball

One of my favorite places to take E is the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles. I was very hesitant to check it out when a friend invited us to join her and her son. Hmmm...Noah's Ark...not really my thing. I was expecting it to have a more religious slant, but after my first visit I was hooked.

It is based on the basic Noah's Ark story, without really featuring Noah. The kids get to interact with and act out every aspect of the story as if they were the ones traveling at the time. From the storm to life on the ark it feels more like what it actually may have been like to take a ship in those days. They get to create the storm, build the ark, load the animals, climb the rafters and share a meal in the eating quarters. There is 8,000 square feet of exploration and interaction for kids of all ages to enjoy.



What's more, there is plenty for the parents to enjoy as well. Everything in the exhibit is built from recycled objects. The picture I've added above shows an alligator whose teeth are made of super glue tops and tongue is a violin. The elephant's tusk below is made from dim sum boxes. Every single time I go I notice something new, whether it is the fly swatter wings of a bird or a body made out a croquet ball.

The staff is amazing and are always around for questions or to show you and your kids a new way to enjoy the exhibit. When you enter, a staff member brings you in to tell the beginning of the story. Then they lead you down to the play area.

It is not easy for kids to wander off which allows you to relax and enjoy yourself without having to chase kids all over the exhibit. They also come around often with hand held animals for you to check out, tell a story, and will even bring out instruments for the kids to play.

In the farthest room there is a table set up with a different crafts from day to day. The last time I was there they had various items to turn an ordinary cup into an animal of your own to take home. In the same room is an area for even the littlest visitor to sit and enjoy, with a squishy mat and wooden blocks to play with.

As they like to keep the crowds down, which trust me makes it even more enjoyable for me, you must reserve tickets. You will get an entry and exit time, which I believe gives you a two hour window to explore the exhibit. The best way to book tickets is to go online to their website and make your reservation. Children under 2 are free, otherwise everyone else needs a ticket. Thursday's are always free, but you still need to go online and reserve a ticket. They fill up fast so you may end up needing to book tickets a month or more in advance.



I highly recommend Noah's Ark for kids of any age.
Babies, toddlers, and adults alike will have a blast.

Great Park in Irvine

I am subscribed to a website called lafreebee.com that sends out emails with free events all over Los Angeles. Most often they are events that don't really suit me, but occasionally an event will pique my interest.

The Great Park Balloon immediately caught my eye. The Great Park in Irvine is a recycled air field whose 1,347 acre span will inform guests about sustainability. In the summer they have concerts and in the winter they have an ice skating rink in the hangar located across from the balloon. When we were there they were working on a kids park next the balloon that should be done early this year.

The Great Park Balloon is one of the largest helium balloons in the world and the first of it's kind in the United States. It rises 500 feet in the air holding 25-30 passengers. It is appropriate for any age and even allows pets aboard. It was definitely a nerve wracking experience for me, as heights make me more than a little nervous. Yet, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was well worth it! The view is amazing and I would love to try it out again in the evening during which I heard the sunset views are incredible.

We drove out there at about 9 am and if you have far to travel might I recommend combining this venture with a trip to the Discovery Science Museum (more on that later) right off the 5 freeway. You can't miss the large cube visible from the freeway. The balloon itself only takes a few minutes depending on if there is a wait or not. We went first to the balloon and than to the science museum for lunch and some play time.

I would highly recommend both for any age child and is a lot of fun for the parents as well.

To vaccinate or to not vaccinate?

My husband has always believed that it is just short of criminal not to vaccinate. It's harmful not only to the child, but to the community at large. Recently he posted a link, innocently enough, on a social networking site. He didn't expect the response he received. He'd always just believed and hadn't done a vast amount of research. When someone gave him a large number of claims he decided to set out to look into each an every one.

The result is the article below. As I was irritated that it took him away from me and E for the better part of a week, I am proud of what he accomplished. The information speaks for itself. It is important that people realize where anti-vaccination claims are actually coming from and that the news is hyping up fallacies. It may be good news to report the dangers of vaccines, and not at all entertaining to talk about what they accomplish, it is simply irresponsible and untrue.

If you disagree with vaccines, please take a look at the research. Everything he's referenced is from a highly reliable source. He and I welcome any one to inform us of anything that he may have not addressed or is not aware of. Please include links where available, as we are happy to look into anything new on the subject.

http://quay.wordpress.com/response-to-some-concerns-about-vaccines/

The Getty Villa - Malibu

The first museum I took E to was The Getty Villa in Malibu, Ca. She was 6 months old at the time. It wasn't really my choice, we went with my brother to fulfill a school project. He didn't want to go alone so we tagged along.

We had to book tickets online. Although they are free, there is limited entry allowed. The museum was easy to find, it is just off PCH and has plenty of parking on site for $15 per car. Check the website for more info www.getty.edu

The museum wasn't really my style, a lot of Greek and Roman antiquities. Although the fountains and gardens were beautiful. I enjoyed the atmosphere and it was a nice, pleasantly cool day to walk around.

They had a cafe that I felt was tasty enough, but it was over priced, gourmet versions of kid favorite classics, such as asiago grilled cheese.


Eisley was too little really to enjoy any of the exhibits. They do, however, have a kids room. I think that the kids room is more appropriate for older children. The best part was a large screen behind which the kids can don swords and crowns. A light creates a silhouette and the kids have a lot of fun making themselves look like large, looming gladiators. They also have pages with a picture of a vase which kids can decorate and take home.

I would not recommend this museum for babies or toddlers. Unless of course the baby is still stroller bound and sleeps often. The only thing toddlers will enjoy is the kids room and I think it may only hold their attention for a short time. I definitely say this is best for older kids or an adult only outing.

Never point and laugh because karma will find you

Just a quick blog as I need to study biology (bleh), but I had to share a funny story.

This evening as my husband and I returned home from a long snow covered drive from Vegas, we decided that we needed to wake our daughter up since she'd been cooped up and sleeping most of the afternoon and evening. He was changing her so I decided to go in and make funny faces at her while he finished. When he was done he picked her up and held her high in the air and of course talked gibberish to her to make her laugh. Right on cue she sneezed and then spit up all over his shirt.

I laughed so hard because her timing was impeccable! I pointed and laughed at him and pretended to high five my little 4 month old for a job well done, and well, for not being on me. I then grabbed her and because I don't learn from others mistakes, I held her high above my head and made funny faces at her. She of course spit up all over my shirt while my husband laughed at the karmic retribution. I was about to get upset, but instead laughed so hard I cried!

I mean really, it serves me right!

Sudden silence is loud

As far as colicky babies goes, my daughter was definitely borderline. I'm sure there are parents out there that have had worse. It was however frustrating to not be sure if she was going to scream at any moment. There were days when she and I would just cry together as I rocked her because I had no idea what else to do. She'd be fed, changed, just taken a nap. I would change dry diapers just to have something to do and hope that it would magically change her mood. Maybe it was just an itchy string in the previous diaper?

I kept trying to find the miracle answer online or from the doctor, but the answer seemed to be unanimous that one day it would just...stop. How could it just stop? In the midst of a holding a red-faced screaming infant you feel that there will be no other state of being.

It's been a week now and I just suddenly realized that it's been quiet. I thought I'd just gotten used to it. The silence seems as loud as the crying. Maybe it's just the residual ringing in my ears. She has not once cried without it meaning she is tired, hungry or wet. In fact, as I write this the realization dawns on me that it has been since she sat up for the first time on her own in My Gym last week. It can only get better from here as she learns to roll over and crawl.

I never thought it could happen, but truly the crying has ceased and only laughter has taken it's place. They were right. It does just stop. :)