Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Preparing for Pittsburgh

Vacations are HUGE language opportunities, as kids are exposed to new vocabulary and experiences. I was hoping to find some children's books on various Pittsburgh landmarks, but came up empty handed. I wanted to give them some familiarity with the sights we would see, so I have been creating some "at-home" activities related to places in Pittsburgh.

Today, we rode our bikes on roads with places we will visit- the Duquesne Incline, Carnegie Science Center, zoo, and children's museum. I have been talking about the submarine at the science center, the polar bears at the zoo, and riding to the top of Mount Washington. It's a great learning experience, and truthfully, I love hearing "Duquesne Incline" come out of Nolan's mouth (Dukang Incwime).


Matt was really into the idea of pretending we were in Pittsburgh. I could have saved a lot of money on the actual trip, since he's pretty convinced he's already ridden the Incline!


Of course, both boys were frustrated because there was "no place to park." I'm pretty sure that will be the case in the actual city, too!

5 comments:

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Oh boy, that looks like fun!

Julie

MB said...

Love that idea!! I am so stealing it. I am taking Marielle all over DC this summer and that will be a good intro.

Yanti said...

You're sooo clever.Am stealing your idea too.We have school holiday coming next month and still planning our trip.

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

Perhaps you could have one of them play the ill-tempered parking attendant that just takes all of your money!

It's not that bad really - all of the attractions you're visiting have their own lots.

rouchi6 said...

It must have been fun doing this and now when you actually visit, the boys will be so tuned in with the basics that there are more chances of learning more stuff.Loved this idea. Try surfing for details on the city as that is what we do and take out printouts of the same.