Evolution
On Friday I took the kids to Paris and we met up with my dear friend and her bambinos at the Jardin des Plantes to go round the Grande Galérie de l'Evolution (the er big evolution gallery). Last year we took the kids to see the Gallery of Compared Anatomy at the other end of the Jardin des Plantes. I used to walk through these gardens when I was a student in Paris (for one year '94 to '95) to get to classes and so I always get a nice nostagic feeling when I go there. Never suspected I would one day be there with two children in tow. Anyhow, the place was fantastic! It is basically a very large hall filled with stuffed animals. To be honest I haven't spent much time examining my thoughts about stuffed animals from an ethical stance, I just think that they happen to be there now and they do provide children (and adults) with a great opportunity to get up close to animals and get a real sense of their respective sizes and morphology. All of us got something out of the visit and it was great to see how each child reacted differently to the place. Little boy was filled with excitement and just charged around the enormous room (with me hot on his tail) wanting to visit the elephants, the polar bears the hippos... he loved it! My daughter enjoyed looking at things more in detail and then explaining her understanding of them to her slightly younger friend. And me? Well who knew Moose were so very big?
Vendredi moi et les enfants ont eu le grand plaisir de se rendre au Jardin des Plantes et plus précisément à la Grande Galérie d'Evolution. Hmm. Quelle phrase. Nous avons tous aimé regarder toutes ces bêtes dans leur mise en scène processionelle. Mon petit garçon courait dans tous les senses (il n'en pouvait plus) et avait très vite mémorisé les locations de ses animaux préférés. Il a aimé autant qu'il avait aimé la Galérie d'Anatomie Comparée l'année dernière. Ma fille regardait plus en détail - une maquette, un vidéo et se régalait à expliquer son intérprétation de ce qu'elle voyait à sa copine. Et moi? Je me suis trouvée stupéfaite devant un élan gigantesque.
On Friday I took the kids to Paris and we met up with my dear friend and her bambinos at the Jardin des Plantes to go round the Grande Galérie de l'Evolution (the er big evolution gallery). Last year we took the kids to see the Gallery of Compared Anatomy at the other end of the Jardin des Plantes. I used to walk through these gardens when I was a student in Paris (for one year '94 to '95) to get to classes and so I always get a nice nostagic feeling when I go there. Never suspected I would one day be there with two children in tow. Anyhow, the place was fantastic! It is basically a very large hall filled with stuffed animals. To be honest I haven't spent much time examining my thoughts about stuffed animals from an ethical stance, I just think that they happen to be there now and they do provide children (and adults) with a great opportunity to get up close to animals and get a real sense of their respective sizes and morphology. All of us got something out of the visit and it was great to see how each child reacted differently to the place. Little boy was filled with excitement and just charged around the enormous room (with me hot on his tail) wanting to visit the elephants, the polar bears the hippos... he loved it! My daughter enjoyed looking at things more in detail and then explaining her understanding of them to her slightly younger friend. And me? Well who knew Moose were so very big?
Vendredi moi et les enfants ont eu le grand plaisir de se rendre au Jardin des Plantes et plus précisément à la Grande Galérie d'Evolution. Hmm. Quelle phrase. Nous avons tous aimé regarder toutes ces bêtes dans leur mise en scène processionelle. Mon petit garçon courait dans tous les senses (il n'en pouvait plus) et avait très vite mémorisé les locations de ses animaux préférés. Il a aimé autant qu'il avait aimé la Galérie d'Anatomie Comparée l'année dernière. Ma fille regardait plus en détail - une maquette, un vidéo et se régalait à expliquer son intérprétation de ce qu'elle voyait à sa copine. Et moi? Je me suis trouvée stupéfaite devant un élan gigantesque.
Jenny,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a fun and busy day at the museum.
Isn't it fascinating how little boys and girls are so very different at a young age. I always find that to be so interesting.
Alicia
Hi Alicia! Yes we had great fun thanks. My two certainly are polar opposites (even if little man did want to dress up as a princess today!) I don't feel like I have a head start on the second one since he reacts to things so differently from his elder sister. But it does make our house a er lively place to be!
ReplyDeleteJenny,
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine the "energy" that surrounds two little ones. The only lively things at our house now are three Turkish Angora cats that think they are still kittens (at 8 years old). The boys just ran through playing tag with the older boy in the front. That is all the energy I can handle now.
talk to you later, and have a great day or evening in your case,
Alicia