Natural History: Life on the Wild Side
Young Simba:
Danger? Ha! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger.
I speak for all of us here at Findlay House, when I say the Lion King is one of our all time FAVORITE movies!
In third place, only topped by the final face-off with Scar and the stampede, the elephant graveyard scene is one of the most gripping moments of the movie.
It turned young Simba didn't find danger so funny after all...
But what young cub doesn't like to test the limits and walk on the wild side?
I took the littlest Findlay to explore life on the wild side, from a safe distance, at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Because it honestly doesn't get any wilder than wildlife!
Our outing was more than just a time for bonding for the two of us, it provided Azariah with a healthy mix of both education and entertainment. A winning combination!
Azariah is absolutely brilliant, and we know it's critical to keep her engaged and learning, especially during the summer. The educational aspect of Fernbank Museum is what made it a "must visit" destination for me. (Azariah had already been to Zoo Atlanta, so it didn't make sense to take her there again.)
After we parked, we were greeted by a fountain with bronze raptor statues in the center. Azariah is absolutely captivated by dinosaurs. Some of her current YouTube video favorite include dino-raps by StoryBots like this one:
The museum entrance is on the mid-level of the gorgeous three-story facility. There was no wait at the ticket counter on the Tuesday afternoon we went. I showed my Atlanta CityPass and bought Azariah's ticket and within a few minutes we were walking into our first exhibit: A Walk Through Time in Georgia.
One of the first things I noticed was how easily accessible the information on the display boards were for children. They were at a perfect level for reading-age children to get to.
Some of them even included little Scavenger hunt/I spy items like this one below:
And some of them were also visually intriguing:
We were able to take our time and go through all the different exhibits. The dinosaur gallery was an instant hit!
We finished all the exhibits on the entry-level, which included this scene of baby turtles hatching on the Georgia coast:
Then we made our way down to the lower-level.
After taking in the atrium's sights, we went outdoors for lunch. We went back inside to view the exhibits on the lower level. The Star gallery was one of our favorites!
The World of Shells room is connected to the Star Gallery. Azariah really likes collecting, and shells are one of those items.
The Mammoth and Mastodons exhibit was absolutely incredible! was definitely one of our favorites.
Once we were done with the lower-level exhibits we went back outside to explore the WildWoods and a little of Fernbank Forest. The museum sits on 75 lush acres. And there are plenty of outdoor activities for the kiddos to enjoy1
It was a hot day and after about an hour outdoors we were ready to go back inside. We climbed the stairs up to the third level. Azariah was free to run wild once again, but this time in an air-conditioned environment—NatureQuest.
The last two exhibits we went into were: the interactive Sensing Nature exhibit and the colorful Reflections of Culture exhibit.
One of the many interactive stations in the Sensing Nature exhibit—finding out how green screens work for meteorologists.
Azariah in front of one of the many opulent headpieces on display in the Reflections of Culture exhibit.
This only a handful of the pictures I took, but I think this snapshot does a great job of showing just how much fun we had and all there is to do!
One last thing, if you're planning a trip to Fernbank and you really want to make the trip an educational experience for your child(ren) check out the museum's website and download the age-appropriate activity sheets for the different exhibits!
I'm still so thankful that I got the chance to spend quality time with this darling, learning more about the world around us. Thanks for an amazing time Fernbank!
