Leading up to Independence Day this week, my daughter was anticipating a full day spent at my parents’ house swimming and fireworks later in the evening.   But yesterday she asked me, “What is Independence Day and why do we celebrate?”  Instead of giving her a boring and confusing American History 101 lecture, I just popped in my trusty Schoolhouse Rock dvd and played videos from the America Rock series.  During the election of President Obama I blogged about other Schoolhouse Rock videos and how this incredible series helped me to retain my knowledge of complex and potentially boring subjects.  By watching  Fireworks, she was able to understand the foundation of American History and the cause of our celebration on July 4th in a catchy and easy-to-understand way.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA!

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

If  you are a visitor to Atlanta this summer, you must make a point of visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden; it is so lovely.   If you are an Atlanta resident then you are lucky enough to experience the garden many times throughout the year.  The garden has recently been renovated with a new entrance, new parking deck (no more free parking) and several new garden areas.  

I take my kids to the garden often.  The Children’s Garden is a great playspace for kids and even has a water play area; on a hot summer day many swimsuit-clad kids can be found cooling off in the sprinklers.  One of our favorite things to do is look for frogs in the garden ponds.  Today we found one!

And while the permanent gardens are always beautiful, such as the Japanese Garden

or Tropical Garden in the conservatory,

we have also seen many fantastic special exhibits there such as Chihuly in the Garden, Locomotion in the Garden, Niki in the Garden, Big Bugs & Killer Plants and Sculpture in Motion.  I have learned to expect nothing but the best exhibits at the Garden.

Today my daughter and I went to see the new Moore in America exhibit and just like the other exhibits, it was spectacular; we absolutely loved Henry Moore’s sculptures and the way they were displayed throughout the garden.

After a good lunch at the Garden Cafe (the food is catered by one of our favorite lunch spots, Sun in My Belly), we took a final mother and child photo in front of Moore’s Reclining Mother and Child.

Moore in America will be at the Atlanta Botanical Garden through October 31, 2009, so you have plenty of time to check it out.   The Garden also hosts Cocktails in the Garden every Thursday night through September, concerts, and many children’s programs; go to the website for more details.

© 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.