We visited the renovated Seattle Aquarium today with our kids and had a wonderful time. There are many interesting exhibits to see and we plan to go back soon.
One thing I noticed is that as many of us grow older we go from doing to watching. One example would be that I used to play a lot of basketball and baseball. Now I spend far more time watching both on TV.
At the aquarium, this point was driven home as I noticed the exhibits my kids found most interesting were those that included a hands-on element. One particular exhibit was an open tank that included various marine life that encouraged the kids to gently touch. They kids loved touching starfish, crabs and various colorful sea anemone. They couldn’t believe how rough and scratchy the starfish felt.
Kids love to touch, and move and play with items. As adults sometimes we’d rather step back and observe. It was fun to watch our kids enjoy the exhibits, but it was even more enjoyable getting my hands wet with my kids as we learned about sea life.
Kim does a good job of jumping in to whatever activity the kids are doing and playing alongside them like when she and Luca play the piano together.
I’m going to do a better job of getting involved at that level with my kids even if it means getting dirty of wet. Or both.
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