Night at the museum

On Thursday the Museum of Nature had a member's preview night for this season's special exhibition, "Discovering Chimpanzees." I thought it would be fun to take Henry out, just the two of us, for a special, after-dinner activity to cement his status as a Big Boy. I'd also like to cultivate his interest in any animal that is not a remorseless predator, so it was a 2-for-1 on the parenting goals front.

We learned lots about chimps from the exhibits and a guest speaker who taught us how to make screeching chimp noises. Henry was enthralled by an interactive exhibit where you stick a wire down holes in a concrete "termite mound" and activate a light when you find a pretend termite. Since it was a special event, refreshments were served (alas, no wine and cheese. The museum knows its core audience too well. So we got platters of animal crackers and chocolate-covered banana slices).

We both had a fun time and learned many facts about apes. Henry's intense interest in the natural world certainly has taught me a lot about topics I knew next to nothing about three short years ago. Henry's eagerness to dive into subjects that interest him and his ability to soak up information is one of the most rewarding aspects of this phase of his life. It's impossible not to get caught up in his enthusiasm.

Monkeying around