Visiting our first historical house of Waco!

Field trips are always something we enjoy doing, and as our kids grow, we are finding NEW adventures to seek out!!

The last few years having mainly preschool and under (lots of toddler fun!!) we focused mainly on library time, zoos, children's museums, etc.  Now, while we still do enjoy those things, we have started trying to branch into "bigger" kid adventures for our oldest.

Today we were fortunate to have the Waco Library host a trip to the historical East Terrace Museum!  We often say (on our way to the zoo) " look at all these great historical places we never stop to see!" so today I made it a point to actually show up and see one!

The kids were able to learn about how the suspension bridge in Waco was built and created with 3 million bricks!!  They also got to hear stories and play with toys, dolls, and crafts from pioneer days.  This definitely helped reinforce our History class this semester of early American history up to the Civil War.  Samuel enjoyed seeing a house from "Lincoln's Era" and seeing how different the pianos, clothes, beds, and everything was.  They thought the coolest part was seeing the VERY FIRST TOILET that was inside a house in Waco, TX.

As a mom, watching their faces light up as they took in the new sights, sounds, and information from a previous era was wonderful!!

Even though the toddlers thought it was a little boring at times, it was a great experience for the rest of them.  Now as we do our walks along the Brazos, our boys will have great stories to tell about the bridge, the river, and the history!

This also reinforces a LOVE FOR LEARNING!!!  People ask me why our boys seems so smart, and I always say, it's because they love to learn.  Don't stress the curriculum, don't stress every little thing, but teach them to enjoy learning and exploring new things every day, and they will never stop growing.

It can be SO easy to get stuck in a rut, and never step outside your comfort zone.  Today we branched out a little and got a free tour of a beautiful home and learned more history about our local town.

For me this was a great reminder to "be the tourist" in your own town and really dig in and enjoy some of the history and culture!

What are some things YOU do to "tour" your town where you live?  Never be afraid to just mark down the time to learn some great things about your town!