Last Saturday morning our family flew up to the Natural History Museum for their special member preview of the Butterfly Pavilion.
NHM’s Butterfly Pavilion is located outside and to the right of the main entrance. It will be open to the public and members now through September 1 (2014).
It’d been a few years since we’d visited the NHM’s Butterfly Pavilion, and it’d been a few months since our last visit to the NHM at all. I don’t know why. We absolutely love this museum. And not that we needed one, the butterfly pavilion member event was the perfect excuse to get back up there sooner than later.
Long view from the entrance end inside of the Butterfly Pavilion at NHM of Los Angeles County. Yes, that’s C back to the left trying to get some shots of the lovely ladies and gentlemen (AKA, the butterflies).
NHM’s Butterfly Pavilion event also caught our eye as T just finished studying the butterfly cycle in school. As C and I are parents who try to integrate classroom learning into our own family outings and activities as much as possible, this event couldn’t have taken flight at a better time for us.
We were part of the first group inside the large, outdoor terrarium Saturday morning. We loved how un-crowded it was. It really allowed us the chance to hunt around for all different types of butterflies (and their eggs!) without feeling like we were pushing through or walking over others.
T and C looking at butterfly eggs with one of the NHM docents.
T schooling the docent at the NHM butterfly exhibit about the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis. Let’s just say there are no cocoons in a butterfly exhibit, RMT’ers!
T also got a chance to chat with one of the docents about the difference between a cocoon and a chrysalis. Who knew there was an actual difference? Oh yeah, that’s my T! Thanks for paying attention in school that day, son. I think both your dad and I missed that lesson way back when because neither of us was the wiser to any difference whatsoever before your tutelage (and thank you).
T wound up giving this pipe-cleaner-and-pom-pom crafted flower to his friend – so sweet! And so easy to make, too. No glue required either!
After visiting the butterflies, T and C did a flower craft together. Thanks to the folks at The Squirrel King for providing this wonderful activity station Saturday morning (and for supplying me with a great new summer activity box idea!).
I got a few iPhone photos of the butterflies, but C did an amazing job capturing the beauties with the “real camera.”
Me and my little butterfly. Thanks for the photo, C.
Have a beautiful, butterfly-filled spring (and summer), RMT’ers!
NHM’s Butterfly Pavilion is open to the public now through September 1, 2014. Get your tickets now at this link. Admission is free for museum members, but a ticket is still required. Please note that entry to this special exhibit is by a timed ticketing system; tickets allow for a maximum of 30 minutes inside of the exhibit if you make it inside by the start of your timed window, which I highly recommend.
Real Mom Time (RMT) 