Redpath

On Monday we headed to the Redpath Museum in Montreal for a workshop on meteorites…

Last time we were at the Redpath Xavier started getting sick on the way there and we ended up spending a lot of time in the bathroom… This time we got there early and were able to spend some time looking around… what a great museum. If you are in Montreal, it is a great place to stop by and check out

We went and looked at the mummies again and then some other curious and interesting artifacts…

Skeletons… Samurai armour… shrunken head… so many questions…

then of course the the dinosaur skeletons were a big hit… The boys were amazed at the size of them…

This is Gorgosaurus libratus a genus of T-Rex that lived in Western Canada at one time…

I forgot the name of this guy… but I stood next to him fascinated for quite a while…

The Triceratops skull was massive… It is hard to imagine that they were Herbivores…

Then we met up with the other homeschoolers that were there and the workshop started…

The format of the Workshops given at the Redpath are great. The kids have a short information session… not more than 30 min in all and not all at the same place, so there are moving around  bit… Then a craft session to finish things up…

Tags: dinosaurs, Montreal, museum, Redpath

Our outing in Montreal to see the butterflies

We got up early on April 10th. We got to the Jardin Botanique just a little before ten. Mommy dropped us off, and went for her own day in the Big City. Grand-Papa and his girlfriend Chantal were there, and had already bought the tickets, so we went in right away. Khéna was shy at first, sitting in the carrosse [stroller], hiding his eyes with his hands and not looking at anything.

We had to make our way through the greenhouses to get to the butterfly area, seeing all kinds of plants along the way.

The minute we came in the butterfly area, we started seeing them everywhere, flying around, landing on plants and flowers and people. Some of them were dying on the ground, having been stepped by accident.

Here’s Colin, looking at one from up close:

Here’s a nice green one:

Here’s a baby-plant, growing like a tentacle:

Here’s a big brown one, holding on to the coccoon-ropes.

And another one just next to it:

We made our way through. There was a lot of people in there!

After that we made our way back to the beginning, seeing all the plants again. Then, we had lunch in a little restaurant. It was good to eat, and it gave us a lot of energy. Khéna even sneaked his way out of the restaurant, and made a run for it outside before Daddy caught him. That was funny.

After lunch we walked a bit and took the subway. Xavier and Colin were really happy to take it again for the first time in a long while, and for Khéna it was like the first time. He was really impressed.

We got off after a couple of stations and walked to Daddy’s Grand-Mother’s house. We stayed there for an hour or so, exploring the backyard while the grown-ups talked. She gave us chocolate.

After that, we said goodbye to everybody and played a little bit in the park in front of the house. Colin found some pods that had fallen from a tree, and some rocks, which he put in the stroller for his “collection”.

We took the subway again, this time for longer ride. When we got out, we walked a bit and got to Le Valet d’Coeur, a cool store full of toys, games and Dungeons & Dragons stuff. We got a four-sided die that Daddy was missing, and some miniatures.

Xavier was hoping to get the beholder that was on the cover of the box, but he didn’t. He was still happy with the ones he got, including a big minotaur.

After that we walked on St-Denis street, looking at everything. It was a great day to walk, warm and sunny. Not long after that Daddy got a page from Mommy, he called her, and she picked us up maybe 20 minutes later.

We then left Montreal and drove to the Promenades St-Bruno (AKA: The Big Mall). Mommy went to her fabric store, and we went in the Mall to have some supper. After that, we went to Zellers to look at the toys. Mommy met us there a little later. Xavier got a IG-86,

Colin got a General Grievous,

and Khéna got a truck that he liked.

We left, and drove back home. Khéna fell asleep, but not Xavier and Colin, still too excited. Back at home, they played with their toys for a little while, and finally fell asleep really late for them, after ten, very tired from their long, fun day.

Tags: Big Mall, Botanical Garden, Butterflies, Dungeons & Dragons, Family Outings, Montreal, star wars, Toys