field trip with kids to chicago botanic garden, sept 2002

in early september, just the weekend before the girls started school again for fall 2002, laura took all three kids to the chicago botanic garden for a saturday morning adventure. it's amazing, this year elaine starts fourth grade and grace starts second grade! where has the time gone?

we got going really early and I had everything packed the night before. this made the morning very easy. we left the house around 900am and after having a little confusion with getting there initially, we made good time and got there around 930am. next time, we leave by 730am! the gardens were great in the morning and nice and quiet and cool. once the crowd started arriving around noonish, it was not as quiet, quite warm and not as pleasant.

the chicago botanic garden is actually many gardens all on one property. we visited only a handful. our goal for this visit was to see all of the "big bug" sculptures that were scattered in the gardens. upon arrival, we were given a map with the bug locations noted. the girls were excited to see the huge bugs sculpted in hard wood and to handle all of the navigation using the map. this left me to push the stroller and identify plants. I am really surprised by how many plants I can identify now by form and foliage (as are the girls).

the gardens were visited and liked the best were the naturalistic garden (kind of like ours with many of the same plants), the aquatic garden (seen by far due to stroller interference), the children's garden (the kids, including kane, *loved* this one), and the waterfull garden (kane became animated like I've never seen with all of the moving and rushing water). most especially, I enjoyed the prairie but the kids did not enjoy the long walk through it.

it's only $40 for a family membership and it's close to the house. I think we'll join soon so that we can go any time we like. then, the parking is free ($8.75 for pay as you go).

see pictures from our day at the chicago botanic garden

{ back to @home }