Knock the Final Days of Summer Out of the Park!

Even though summer is winding down and back-to-school is gearing up, you can still kick your final days of summer out of the park by including an educational adventure for your family.  By adding cultural, historical, archeological, or artistic activities to your schedule, you will be easing into the transition back to school while doing something both fun and enriching. 

When I was a child, our trips to the Southwest shaped my love for this area.  Our daughter’s visit to the Smithsonian and whale watching trips off the coast of California highly influenced her love of the natural world – for oceans and Sir David Attenborough in particular.  The thing is, you don’t have to go to Washington or another state.  You don’t even have to go far at all.  There are some brilliant educational experiences right here at home.  

 Consider visiting one of Santa Fe’s museums.  The choices are many, and introducing your children to museums may spark a life-long love of art.  Consider The Santa Fe Children’s Museum – where children learn by doing – as the perfect introduction for your younger ones.  Older teens might enjoy the art festivals taking place throughout July as well as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Museum of International Folk Art. 

To offer a bit of highly local history for your older teens, pick up a copy of the book 109 East Palace for an intimate look at the people involved and what life was like in Los Alamos for those working on the Manhattan Project.  Then visit 109 East Palace, the actual location where each person coming to work on the Manhattan Project was welcomed, given an orientation, and escorted up to Los Alamos.  A Friends of History docent trained “under the auspices of the official history museum of New Mexico” can guide you and your children on a two-hour walking tour of Santa Fe entitled Assassins, Spies, and the Manhattan Project.  You will learn even more about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the spies who shared information about the project, and what went on at 109 East Palace.  A beautiful 40-minute drive will take you up to Los Alamos itself where you can round out your study of the Manhattan Project by visiting The Los Alamos History Museum and the Bradbury Science Museum.  

A short hop from Los Alamos is Bandelier National Monument where you can go back even farther into history.  There are easy hikes to see cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.  If you are brave, you can climb ladders to peek into ancient rooms.  Take art supplies including paper and pencils so that your children can copy petroglyphs and invent their own.  

Consider a drive to Cerrillos, thirty minutes south of Santa Fe down the iconic Turquoise Trail. A hike through the Cerrillos Hills State Park will provide an interesting history of mining in the area while viewing the mines themselves.  There are planned activities throughout July in the park including a twilight hike, poetry night, and field sketching, all of which are open to children and families.  An adult must accompany any children under 18.  For more, visit the park’s website, https://www.cerrilloshills.org/, or call 505-474-0196.  While in the area, add a big art experience by visiting Origami in the Garden which is on the Turquoise Trail just north of Cerrillos.  “Artist Kevin Box takes origami to another level, transforming paper into museum quality metal sculpture”. Featuring “heroically-sized” sculptures, you can walk the garden and be amazed! 

If you are up for a longer drive and a big adventure, Acoma Sky City is two hours away.  A part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Acoma Sky City – the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States – sits atop a 367-foot-tall mesa.  Tours by Acoma residents are available and must be arranged in advance.  Imagine learning about the art, history, and culture of the Pueblo while literally walking the same pathways that have been in use for at least 2000 years. 

With so many fascinating historical, cultural, archeological and artistic sites right here at home, you have a wealth of choices for your last days of summer adventures.  Spark your child’s interest in the world around them even before school begins!