J. is a bird: July 2011

31 July 2011

The Los Angeles Arboretum

We paid a visit to The Los Angeles Arboretum on a muggy Sunday afternoon and found a few things we'd never seen before.

When we first started to visit the LA Arboretum it was just after our first trip to New Zealand and Australia and we were quite disappointed by it. However, in the past 5 years The Arboretum has really improved and finally we feel it really has turned into a destination worth visiting.

This visit we happened upon a new, raised bed garden used for The Arboretum's children's Summer Nature Camp gardening classes. Just behind this was a fountain, a greenhouse jungle and a rainforest. These run directly behind the Orchid House, a favorite of ours. Also a visit to The Arboretum wouldn't be complete for the kids without a stop at the Santa Anita Railway Station.

The Arboretum is a great Unschooling location near Los Angeles. It provides large open spaces to run in. A chance to watch small wildlife (in addition to peacocks we spotted, lizards, butterflies, squirrels, koi, aquatic turtles, and ducks) in their own environment. If multiple visits are spread out over the year, it is one of the few places in L.A. to watch the change of seasons and the effect those changes have on the gardens.

Cheers!
J.

Water feature at the entrance

Sign post directing you to your preferred destination.

Learning to keep a respectful distance with the time honored phrase, "Look with your eyes, not with your hands.".

Peacocks and Penhens are everywhere. Their feathers fall off naturally and are offered for purchase at the gift shop. A cheap sourvinir of the day for the kids.

Part of the Madagascar Spiny Forest

Walk like a Peacock.

Part of the teaching garden for children

It looks like, Recycle, repurpose, re-use is also a part of the course.

Mama Peahen

No time for pictures Ma, I got things to see!

Rainforest

This guy and the ones below are from the Orchid House

Baby Pencocks showing us their defensive coloring.

Looking for Kung Fu Panda in the Bamboo Forest

Two weary children waiting for a train.

18 July 2011

Flight Path Learning Center Museum LAX

During our visit to the LAX Observation Deck on Father's Day, we learned about this cool museum that I'd never even heard of.

The Flight Path Museum is just that too, right on the flight path at LAX. You can stand at the back gate, which affords you a view of The Theme Building and Air Traffic Control tower, and watch planes take off and land. There's a small step platform located just inside the picture window for the little ones to get a good view of the action too. While there you will also hear the feed from the Air Traffic Control tower, which I thought was a nice touch.

The museum houses an impressive collection of aeronautic history of Los Angeles, from the beginnings of LAX airport, to the military planes manufactured in the valley. There's art work, models, old travel posters, a library and even a bronze sculpture (see photo below). Not to mention the collection of stewardess uniforms from every possible airline and era. My favorite was the TWA cutout suit (see photo below). One of my favorite pieces of artwork was the original concept drawing for the airport, futuristic stuff. Honestly I was surprised at how big the place was and there's much more than what I can detail here without making this post too long.

The highlight of the visit was the DC-3. Last owned by Union 76 and used to fly their executives around in the mid-seventies, now calls the tarmac at the museum home. We were allowed on to take pictures, ask questions and the kids got "fly" the plane much to their merriment and our picture taking enjoyment. The kids also got a goodie when they left, filled with coloring pages and crayons.

The museum is free and so is parking. Please be sure to hit up the donation box and sign the guest book before you leave to keep this gem fully operational.

Cheers!
J.