Tuesday, April 27, 2010

In Which Connor Goes On A Field Trip

Today Connor's class went on their big field trip to the Hands On Children's Museum in Olympia!  And because I like field trips too, I went with the little guy.  We've been to the museum multiple times before, but never with school and never for so long-- the field trip lasted for almost three hours! 

I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Connor gave the whole experience mixed reviews.

We were expecting to have the whole place to ourselves, but apparently there was a miscommunication and it was open to the public.  As a result things were a little more crowded than we anticipated-- never a good thing with Connor's sensory issues.  He pulled his hearing aids out about forty seconds after we walked in the door. 

We went immediately to the toddler room, which was not quite as crowded and noisy as the rest of the museum.  I figured we'd ease into things, so we started out at the bean table with another kid from Connor's class, who dove right in. 

Connor declared that there was no way he was touching those beans.  He informed me that he was all done, and it was time to go home.

So after unsuccessfully trying the bean table for a little while, we moved on to the puppets.

Connor declared that there was no way he was touching those puppets.  He informed me that he was all done, and it was time to go home.

This was also his mantra for the train set, the water table, the marketplace, the fire truck, and the crayons.  It was obvious that he was a little overwhelmed and his sensory issues were acting up as a result.  We took a bathroom break and he immediately calmed down in the quiet, beige little room.  The only problem was that then he didn't want to leave the bathroom.  He figured we could just hang out in there for the rest of the trip.

Nice try, buddy.

I did find one thing that he enjoyed.  We sat down in the garden area (complete with a wooden "flower bed" and plastic vegetables) and he completely ignored my attempts to get him to "plant" broccoli and instead honed in on the brightly colored galoshes.  "Want, want!" he said.  So he got to put on a pair of galoshes, which made him very happy, except that he immediately saw another pair of galoshes and wanted to try those too.  We switched out galoshes for a little bit, but really he wanted to wear them both at the same time.  So I put the second pair on his arms.  This was a big hit.

So now apparently I should go galoshes shopping for Connor.  Not that he really has a need for them, but I can see the appeal.  The kid hates to have anything touching his feet, and so those things must look like armor to him.  I'll have to keep an eye out just in case I see a good deal.  If nothing else we can use them for pretend play.

Anyway we finished up back in the Toddler Room, where I forced him once again to touch many, many things he didn't want to touch.  The bus ride back was uneventful (though I did really enjoy chatting with the other moms) and we got home about 1:30pm, when the kid promptly crashed.  He was a tired little guy!

I think that overall he had a pretty good time, though he would have been much happier without me making him touch everything. 

Anybody have any galoshes (galosh?) recommendations for me?

~Jess

6 comments:

Mary Cyrus said...

These aren't the cheapest ever, but they're super cute:
#1

These are sort of.. interesting: #2

Piperlime has a lot of other cute options in the $25 range, actually. Firemen's, Cars, camo, various bright colors, etc.

Here are some orange motorcycle ones for $10: #3

I have no idea what size Connor's wearing in shoes, but if they fit me, I would get these for myself! #4

The same is true of these. So. Awesome. #5

Your Personal Shopper, checking in.

Kristin said...

I have no recommendations on galoshes for feet, but I think Mary has that covered. However, for Connor's hands, the big rubber-y oven mitt things made by Orka (I call them lobster claws) are a huge hit with Josh. He digs them out of the drawer so he can wear them while using his drums sticks to hit things. They do up past his elbows. of course, he also likes to wear socks on his hands too. anyway, just thought that may help if Connor really does want goloshes on his hands more often :)

Anonymous said...

I see them all the time at WalMart for $9 and they have every color imaginable.

Cathy said...

Mary is on the right track. Western Chief has the cutest galoshes. You can also find them at the fairs. WalMart & Target have some cute and brightly colored ones as well.
I'd send you Emily's, but she has pretty much thrashed them here on the farm. I don't know how much Connor would be into the hearts, Ladybugs, & Hello Kitties anyway.

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Oh Western Chief... now that was a walk down memory lane! I think we had some matching raincoats, too. *sigh*

Too bad about the crowds. That drives me nuts and I don't have any particular sensory issues... just sensory overload!

But him lasting for three hours sounds like a lot of maturity :D

Julie

Pie Maker said...

Hi Jess! I am a frequent reader and seldom commenter. I like this website: http://www.dllrainwear.com/category/33779752581/1/Kids-Rain-Boots.htm I also live in the NW so I find rainboots to be a must have! I have a 6year old girl and we have a matching set. Yes it's silly but she loves it so I induldge her, cause that's the kind of Mom I am!

 
Blog Directory