As I twirled my young twin daughters under the arched ceiling, I heard them whispering to each other.
“I think it’s Rapunzel’s castle!” “Could be Belle’s!”
They were trying to figure out whose palace we were visiting. In actuality, it was The Met Cloisters museum and they were following the clues I had created as an activity. (This monastic inspired museum, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is commonly known as The Cloisters, and is governed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is on the East Side of New York’s Central Park.)
I love making museum visits a game so my preschoolers stay interested in all the surrounding beauty. My daughters are obsessed with princesses right now and love watching Disney films. Mostly my clues have to do with films starring Disney royalty.
After climbing The Cloisters’ winding staircase to the lobby, my kids decided it was Rapunzel‘s castle. This was because the mesmerizing domed interior is reminiscent of the tower’s ceiling in the film starring the long tressed lass. However, once we started to explore they soon spied stained glass windows, a fireplace and many ornate books. So, they knew from those clues it was Belle’s castle!
As one of my twins speedily walked through a room showcasing “The Unicorn Tapestries” searching for the Beast, she paused and looked around taking in all its beauty. We didn’t find Belle or the Beast that day, perhaps they were out, but we did find some ice cream treats.
Would you like to try this sort of activity with the children in your life? I usually create some clues in advance, but make up much on the spot! Using their current interests, I figure out how that relates to where we are visiting. We have even inspected the Egyptian Temple of Dendur at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the buried gems of Shimmer and Shine, their favorite cartoon genies.
When I bought the dresses my daughters are wearing in the photo, I was inspired by one my mother wore in her childhood, as a flower girl in a May Queen parade. Speaking of flora, I thought I’d give you an easy way to dry rose petals. Wishing you a fun filled day, where anything you imagine is possible! 💖
Fast Drying Rose Petals
💐First remove the petals from the stem. Only keep the petals.
💐Lay the petals on a paper towel-lined microwave safe plate.
💐Microwave on high for a minute.
💐Take a look, you will probably need to microwave them on high for another minute.
💐If there still some moisture left, microwave them on high for an additional thirty seconds.
💐Let them sit out to fully dry for two days before using them.
💐If you are using store-bought roses, keep your microwave door open for a while in case there is anything on the roses that should be aired out before putting food in the microwave. You may want to wipe down the inside of the microwave as well.
