Today, my daughter and I went to the Macy’s 2nd Monday activities at the Henry Ford Museum with friends. These events, sponsored by Macy’s, are held the second Monday of each month and are geared for young children. Admission is free for museum members and children under 5. Admission for adults is $15. We have a companion membership which allows me to bring in a guest. Since my daughter is 4, I was able to bring in one of my friends (her kids are also 4 and under). My other friend also has a companion membership so we could have brought one more with us. The companion membership is a great deal.
This month, the emphasis was on wheels and wings with an activity for Valentine’s Day and Black History Month. They had a scavenger hunt for 8 wheels or wings throughout the museum (they gave pillar post positions to help you find them). At each spot, the child received a valentine picture they could color. If you returned to the start table, they had crayons and hearts with glue to assemble them. We finished late so we took the pictures home to color.
They were also playing Red Light, Green Light after which each child received a glider airplane. At registration, each child received a frisbee and for Black History Month, they made a crown with civil rights leaders.
In addition to the special activities, my daughter loved racing her K’nex car, doing crayon rubbings at different exhibits, driving the train, exploring the cabins of different airplanes, being a hot dog, flying a paper airplane.
We packed our lunch and ate in the Wienermobile Cafe seating area along with many other children and parents. I had planned to buy a drink, and one of my friends had planned to buy a little extra food, but the cafe was not open. I was surprised that this cafe was closed on a day with a lot of young children since it is very child friendly. The Michigan Cafe was open, but we had already settled at tables before we realized the cafe was closed. Plus, the Wienermobile Cafe was near the exit and we were leaving after lunch.
Of the four children in our group, two had been to the museum one prior time, and the other two were on their first trip. As such, they were more excited by some of the exhibits than they were in the scavenger hunt. However, if they had been more familiar with the museum, they may have been less distracted. Since we just started our membership on New Year’s Eve, I foresee us returning a few more times, at least through the spring. In the fall, my daughter will be in school on Monday afternoons which may make attending trickier.
I learned a few lessons for our next visit on Macy’s 2nd Mondays. The Henry Ford has a nice coat room, so I do not have to worry about carrying coats through the museum. I will bring a bag of some sort to hold things – camera, crafts, maps, give aways, etc. Also, I will make sure to bring my own lunch.
