Winter Wonderland at in the Conservatory at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens

I know I have mentioned the botanical gardens in several posts, however as a parent it's still an amazing thing to expose your children to when the weather is less than optimal outside. So why not plan your winter escape to the Matthaei Botanical Gardens conservatory (1800 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor) to see a beautiful winter interactive exhibit that takes visitors on a journey through the beauty of the winter season. Take your children along to answer questions like: Why do we have winter here in Michigan? What does the winter solstice mean? Why is winter so wild sometimes? And what’s happening weather-wise on the other side of the world?

By way of the conservatory visitors can travel to the southern hemisphere with a “passport to summer” for discovering all the plants of the world; take a winter hike to look for signs of animal life outdoors; and learn how snowflakes form — And even create your own snowflake to take home. During the exhibit, the conservatory will be transformed into a winter wonderland with a variety of white flowers and a tree decorated with pressed Queen’s Anne Lace and other natural ornaments. Many drop-in activities during the exhibit are also included with admission to conservatory.

The Wild Wonderful Winter exhibit: A Season’s Tale runs Thursday Dec. 3, 2009 through
Sun., Jan. 17, 2010. The exhibit is open Tuesdays and Thursday-Sunday 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Cost: Adults 18 and over: $5; children 5-17: $2; under 5 free.

For more information call(734)647-7600, email mbgnavs@umich.edu or visit the Wild Wonderful Winter UMGNA webpage.

Stop and Smell The Blossoms in Ann Arbor for FREE!

My parents were great parents - That's not to say "I want to be just like mom (or dad)" because we all want to be a little different. After all the world is made of completely unique individuals right? My parents were great because they were very much involved in my life. THAT'S the parent I want to be.

As a child I actually had a little difficulty that all of my friends LIKED my parents, and wanted to talk to them. At parties my friends hung with mom, because she was fun to talk to (I suppose). My experience-bank is pretty full as a result of what mom and dad taught me. One of those teachings was quite simple actually - To observe nature and my surroundings. Those teachings have given me my unique perspective on life.

This perspective is what drives me to pass along these experiences. I love taking the kids anywhere where they can observe nature, and recently one rainy, cool day we discovered the Conservatory at Matthaei Botanical Gardens! The icing on the cake, was that visitors are allowed FREE admission Wednesdays from noon to 8pm.

So the stop by the conservatory to top off your experience-bank. On the next rainy day allow your children warm their spirits in the warm temperate atmosphere of the conservatory ~ And don't forget to take along your camera!

Please be sure to check out my latest posts on AnnArbor.com too!