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Drawing maps can be tedious. One way to break up the routine is to use a different medium. Noah opted for the sliding glass doors as his backdrop to his most recent US map.

Aquarium

After two long days of sightseeing, we were ready for a slow morning with bagels and coffee/iced chocolate drinks. We began by doing a little more shopping at the Crate and Barrel outlet and also IKEA, where we were able to eat lunch for free :-) 

Our final activity in Chicago was the Aquarium - where we spent a few hours marveling at God's amazing creativity and variety. We saw a fish with a lung, learned how a fish 'makes' sand and watched the white beluga. 

It was a tired crew that crawled back into the car as we headed back to Michigan after a fun weekend in the big city. 

Night walk

By the time we descended the Willis Tower it was dark. We stumbled upon an interesting sign, noting the place where time zones in America were instituted. The cityscape was so beautiful in the dark summer sky...

Tallest Tower

The last stop of the day was the Willis Tower, and it turned out that many others had had the same idea. We enjoyed our gourmet popcorn from Garrett's while slowly but steadily moving towards the entrance. Once up in the tower, we were greeted by a gorgeous sunset making every minute of the wait worthwhile. Noah even stepped out in to the glassed box that juts out of the building so that one can look straight down onto the street.... 1450 feet in the air.

Chicago on foot

Our first stop of the morning was Crate and Barrel, the original store, where we browsed, gathered ideas and even made a few purchases. A nearby market provided decent lunch snacks. Once in the downtown area, we walked more than 16,000 steps according to our pedometers. We explored Centennial Park, enjoyed the water feature and its spitting faces, the shiny bean, the large water fountain and Chicago's famous Art Museum.

Architecture

While visiting Chicago, we stopped at the University of Chicago to see the famous Rockefeller Chapel and its amazing organ. However, there was a wedding in progress and since we neither invited nor dressed for the occasion, we remained outside. We also walked past the Robie House and learned a bit more about Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural style. Since we had spent the entire day at the museum, we could not go inside the Robie house, it was closed for the day. We admired the Bond Chapel from afar and drove by the sculptor memorializing the first self-sustaining chain reaction of nuclear energy. It was then time for the hotel, some food and sleep!

Experiential education day

One of the many benefits of educating at home is the freedom to travel and explore as we see fit. Last weekend, we headed to Chicago and the Science and Industry Museum. Fortunately, we left our house bright and early, allowing us to arrive just as the museum opened. We did not leave until it closed. A great day, lots of fun and interesting learning.

We took a tour of a mine and learned a lot about the life of a miner in the last 100 years.