A trip to the nature center

Okay I'll admit it, if you told me the local nature center would be FUN, I probably would have laughed.

I don't really like getting dirty, I don't particularly like animals or anything like that...  But John Paul has forced me to seek out opportunities that aren't necessarily what I would think of as fun.  He had a lot of fun at the aquarium, but I knew that we could find free fun for him that was similar.

We headed to Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale this morning.  He LOVED it!

They have a large outdoor play area, but it was too humid for me so we stayed indoors. There was still plenty to do! John Paul immediately climbed up into the observation tower.

There were a few turtles and snakes in various enclosures (he may or may not have been more excited about the turtle cutouts...).

A giant hollow log that both kids could crawl through!

Large cuddly stuffed animals.

A felt wall with all sorts of animals to stick on.

TONS of animal dress-up costumes.

A mirror, Cecilia's personal favorite...

And all sorts of touch-and-feel exhibits, books, and educational tools.  We'll definitely be going back soon!  Hopefully the weather will cool down some day so we'll be able to check out the outdoor area.  John Paul is a BIG fan of getting extremely dirty, so I'm sure he'll love it!