Field Trip To Richmond Museum

Say Menorah!

Spent almost an entire day with kids K-2 at the Richmond Museum and Cultural Center for their class field trip. It was a wonderful experience. I felt like a kid and felt too old at the same time. I walked around like a kid looking at the displays, learning about the different religions, winter customs and going behind the scenes in the circulation area. The silly jokes and the innocent comments that the kids were making made me feel old. It was definitely a learning experience not just for the kids but for me as well.
These are the things I learned today:

-Learned to make a "pomendor" an ornament made out of a mandarin orange and lots of cloves inserted into it. Apparently, a pomendor serves as an ornament as well as a room freshener.

Showing off her Pomendor

-Kids laugh at the weirdest and the silliest of things. Bathroom break? You mean "break the bathroom"? ha ha ha
-Learned about the Menorah, and its significance during Hanukkah-a Jewish celebration.
-The No. 5 road that I have driven on a hundred times is designated as one of the "greatest wonders of Canada." This road has all the major religions represented through the various temples, mosques, buddhist temples and churches.
-All religions have some sort of prayer beads that they believe in. Its interesting how the different religions sort of preach the same thing. All religions try to bring people closer to God. No wonder the theme of the museum is "highway to heaven."
-A plain paper or a word puzzle can keep them entertained for quite some time.

A gigantic Menorah 

-iPads are no longer an adult only gadget. Yes, these gadgets are expensive. However, from a learning perspective, these can be a great learning tool. It was just amazing to see some preschoolers use these gadgets like seasoned users.
-The library has an excellent collection of books in French for the early learners. Our local branch has ordered new French books, and I was thrilled to see them on the shelves. When I saw the collection at the main library, I was beyond thrilled. Aaliyah can read all those books and build up her French! Wishful thinking? Maybe.
-The automatic book sorting machine was amazing. Still, collecting those bins with the sorted books and getting all those thousand plus books on the shelves, everyday, all neat and tidy, is a manual and a very commendable task.

We have been to museums and libraries but going along with the entire class made it a memorable experience for me as well as all the kids.