For our history study this year, we studied ancient civilizations. I read part of the text
A Child's History of the World aloud to my children. We added activities, field trips and literature to further our learning. Our final field trip was to the J. Paul Getty Villa in Malibu on Memorial Day. Because the museum had a maximum ratio of 3 children per adult, we needed to go on a day when Clint was off work. It turned out to be a good thing, because keeping two busy little guys at arm's reach from ancient sarcophagi (that's a word...I'm shocked I didn't get spell checked!) was no easy task. I'm certain one of them would have been jumped by a security guard had Clint not been there too. I haven't enjoyed a museum so much in y.e.a.r.s!! To have freshly studied the people who created those relics breathed meaning into every exhibit we saw. But here are some pictures to liven up this post...
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| Everyone (but me) on the way into the Villa. The grounds were obviously beautiful. |
I forgot my battery charger when we moved from UT. I have been very conservative with my picture-taking since we've moved. At the museum, the screen would say "Battery exhausted" after each picture. But after a little rest, it worked again (totally relate!). Between battery rests, I took a picture of a kid in front of a favorite exhibit.
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| Gabe loved staring at all the different Roman coins. They did NOT just stick with one or two pictures; there was a lot of variety! They were really interesting; sorry the coins are so small in the picture. |
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| Autumn appreciating ancient Roman jewelry |
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| Micah loved this mummy. It was of a 20-something year-old Roman aristocrat living in Egypt. Apparently, they began adopting the process of mummification after living in Egypt for a time. There was a video nearby that explained the mummification process using computer animation... totally more interesting to the boy than any of the other ways I tried to teach this, which included mummifying an apple. |
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| Jonah had a hard time choosing just one favorite thing to be pictured by, so he settled on this beautiful outdoor courtyard. |
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| So did we (with sleeping, almost-1 Asher). I did try to get my husband to pose next to some Roman statues; he said they weren't appropriate. |
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| One last shot before heading out. |
I was shocked to notice we had spent over 3 hours at the museum. It was a beautiful environment that really made history come alive for my little ones. If you ever get the chance to visit the Getty Villa, I would highly recommend it! (Just make sure to order and print your free tickets online before you go.)
