Return to Norton Museum

Between renovations and closings for COVID, it has been a few years since our last trip to the Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach. Ethan has taken a liking to art and it was a good time to go back and see what the museum had to offer. 

Back again.

The outside reflection pool is unique and a nice way to be welcomed to the museum. 

Some of the pieces I enjoyed seeing:

Despite great exhibits, we were only able to see a few. Ethan literally ran through the Durer, Rembrandt, and Picasso exhibits. It wasn't like before when he was only 2, this time it seemed like he had too much he wanted to see and ran to see everything. We calmed him down in the 20th century modern art section to view art by Georgia O'Keefe, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and others.

Not only does he like to draw, but he likes photography as well. He got this camera for his birthday which prints black and white pictures. There was so much he liked, he ran out of film after 50+ pictures. Of course, he enjoyed giving directions for good shots too. 

This was one piece he really liked. 

The museum had a hands-on children's section.

The children's section included a place to make a mural with magnet shapes. 

Taa-daa, a cityscape with a building, beach, and park full of animals and a kite. 

The sculpture garden is always a favorite. Since we came on a Friday when the museum is open late, we were able to enjoy the garden when it wasn't too hot. 

Not just the sculptures, but the garden and landscaping were very nice as well. 

Last stop was the gift shop. 

This week in school, Ethan learned about portraits and Frida Kahlo. There was a Frida Kahlo exhibit but we didn't see it this time. There is only so much we can do at this age. We'll be back again to see it, I'm sure. 

Kennedy Space Center 2022

 After a few years, I returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. Now that Ethan is older, its good to keep exposing him to STEAM activities. Even if he doesn't understand it all, being around the culture will increase his interest in learning. Also, there was lots to see and do. 

The entire Space Center is full of cool things to see. 

It was sunny and hot that day so sometimes smiles were hard to come by after 3-4 pictures :p

Lots of cool displays. 

The Nature and Technology center was a nice piece of history we didn't expect to see, and since it was the first stop through the gate, a welcome refuge from the heat. 

Now, I'm the one not smiling in the picture. 

The rocket garden had lots of outdoor static displays for hands-on and photo opportunities.

Here was a capsule we sat in. 

A monument to the international space station. 

We spent most of our day in the Atlantis Space Shuttle museum. 

That's a huge engine!

Selfie with the floating astronaut. 

A virtual simulator for astronaut training. 

Rocket launch position. 

We spent a lots of time looking at all of the exhibits in the museum and will have to come back again for the rest of the Space Center.