Into the Deep

The First Little Nguyen spent his mornings this week at his favorite place...the Museum of Natural Sciences! When we first signed him up for summer camp, the thought of leaving my firstborn downtown for an entire morning made me feel a little more than apprehensive! He, however, was completely pumped and not at all nervous. In fact, when I got up on Monday morning, he was already dressed in his shark t-shirt and his explorer shorts, making his bed. I was even more hesitant later on as I was walking him in...until I saw the other children. I could tell by the way they were dressed (t-shirts with creepy crawlies, insects, lizards, even a magnifying glass) that the First Little Nguyen had, in the words of Andrea, "found his people"! His summer camp was an exploration of the theme "Into the Deep..." -- Into the Deep Ocean, Into the Deep Desert, Into a Deep Cave... Each day, they focused on a different habitat and the creatures that could be found there. Couselors brought in some of the different animals from the museum for the children to touch (or not to touch!) -- a poison dart frog, yellow-bellied slider turtle, crayfish, flying squirrel, scorpion (ick), tarantula (ick x 2), salamander, baby alligator, gecko, dove, bat...the list goes on. They visited creatures in a nearby butterfly garden and got in depth tours of certain exhibits in the museum. The First Little Nguyen was chock full of information each day when I picked up him, and he was eager to tell anyone who would listen all about it. He met some new friends -- Max and Sam -- you know, his kind of people. I am sure they spent the week talking about, umm... venomous vs. non-venomous snakes, poison-secreting creatures, the speed at which a sidewinder winds, and the like. His teacher says he "knows a lot of things about wildlife" and, being a teacher myself, I know that really translates to, "He thinks he knows more than me." I know the type, and while teaching them can be a bit irritating at times, they are the ones I remember so fondly. I am now the mother of one of those kids, and I adore his quest for knowledge. It's endearing. I know he has spent his week absorbing every stimulating detail of this experience. I am glad he has found his place, and it makes me happy for him. The First Little Nguyen lives and thinks outside the box, and that's a good thing. He is not a cookie-cutter child, and he has definite feelings about who he wants to be. Maybe this week he was able to see himself teaching people about nature, or studying animals. Maybe he could imagine himself working in a museum. While this could have been just another thing to do during summer vacation, it turned out to be the highlight of his whole break. This has been an experience he will not soon forget!

After camp was over, we went to the Museum store, which the Little Nguyens had been wanting to visit for weeks now. It's always fun to look at all of the cool books, puzzles and unneccesary toys they have there. I rarely buy t-shirts when we visit places, but I did relent this time. Or should I say cave? They had fun playing with the different puppets and masks that were there. I could already see the wheels turning in the First Little Nguyen's head....Halloween costume! He thinks he and his little brother could be Siberian tigers together.