Even though she's a girl, she modeled the duds anyway

At the risk of scaring everyone off with all our history-museum chatter (see Erica's previous museum posts, below) I want to say that we went to ye olde (not really called that) Temecula Valley History Museum, and it was just as good, maybe better than we had hoped, especially since it took us approximately 4 minutes to get there, cost me next to nothing, and was even loads of fun for the baby, who was totally entertained despite (because of?) the fact that he had no idea what was going on.

The real reason I'm bothering to post more about the TVHM is that my older daughter, a recently self-proclaimed tomboy, was all too eager to try on the boy duds, as shown in the following:

(She hoped her disguise would fool even her own father. I'm happy to report that it did not.)

And really because he has no choice, the baby was a good sport and agreed to wear some 'costumes' as well:

But most importantly for all you moms out there,

for 56 glorious minutes, all three children engaged in the same activity with nary a hint of the bickering, eye-rolling, and general unrest that seems an inextricable part of almost every outing. A success by any standards!

The Upstairs Secret at the Temecula History Museum

So I've mentioned the many reasons why you should sign your children up for the TVHM's summer camps. And I've mentioned the many reasons why you should visit the museum. But I had to defer until a later post the best reason of all... The reason your children will have to revise their opinions of you (or at least of your decision to take them to a history museum instead of the beach) in an upward direction.


I give you...































The "Touch History" exhibit. Now at first, this seems a little misleading, because there are lots of things you'd want to touch--the general store, a dressmaker's shop, antique cameras. But can't. Such lovelies are tucked away behind protective glass enclosures:

Or railings...

But if you press on, you will find...words fail me...the Giant Box of Semi-Historically Accurate Dress-up Clothes. And when you do, you better have brought along some reading material, because your children will quite happily spend the next several hours there.

There is, of course, a full-length mirror:

































And all manner of twirly dresses, reminiscent of the Ballet Folklorico dancers who entertained the children at camp during session three:




























There are even bonnets which look equally fetching worn either traditionally or backwards:









































(And there are boy clothes too. Sheriff clothes, cowboy accoutrement... denim and rawhide and straw everywhere. And bandannas. But I didn't have any boys to model such duds.)


And then, when they're all dressed up and almost but not quite ready to start bickering, lead them around the corner to the... oh my... the Life-Size Fiberglass Horse. Fully tacked. Because the folks at the museum understand kids, there is a little set of carpeted steps next to the horse, inviting the children to climb up. My younger daughter noted, "I have a prefect view of the entire museum from up here!"


And because they understand parents, the horse is bolted safely to the floor at each hoof. And because they understand litigation, there is a discreet sign reminding you that you--bolted hooves or no--are responsible for your child's safety.
































You can even ride side-saddle.


And then, when even the entertainment potential of the horse has faded, you can walk outside and act hesitant about (but then ultimately acquiesce, thus conferring a sense of hard won-value which must be fully exploited by playing hard and long) turning them loose on






The playground at Sam Hicks Park. Small, but also nearly always empty, with a great view of the foothills and some shaded picnic tables and benches for your sitting pleasure.








Did I mention admission is a suggested donation of $2? You can't beat that with a stick.

General info:

28314 Mercedes Street Temecula, CA 92592
(951) 694-6450 front desk
(951) 694-6452 or (951) 694-6453 admin. offices

Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays

Admission
Suggested donation $2.00

Sleeper Hit: Temecula Valley History Museum

Today's sleeper entertainment hit is the Temecula Valley History Museum in Old Town Temecula. Tucked away on Mercedes Street, next to the Fire Department, it's easy to miss--and I have missed it, despite the fact that I am in Old Town every Saturday for the Temecula Farmers Market.

Yet the Museum is a surprisingly vibrant force in Temecula's cultural life, offering tours of historic Old Town, workshops, gallery-style installations, and--most importantly for the purposes of this family-centric discussion--a Summer Explorers Camp for kids. (For a list of activities, see pages 26-27 of the activities brochure.)

The Summer Explorers Camp runs every Summer for four consecutive weeks. Each week (you can attend any one or all of them) features a different theme. This year's themes were Natural History, Native American History, New World Influences, and Exploring Pioneer Life.

My older daughter (the one complaint I have about the camps is that the age range only accommodates 8-10 year olds) attended sessions three and four this summer. Each day she got to participate in a different activity--weaving, dyeing yarn with onion skins, making adobe bricks, spinning on a drop-spindle, panning for fool's gold--and one day each week was a field trip.

The first field trip was to Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside. The TVHM docents were organized, efficient, and inspired confidence--impossible to overestimate the importance of these traits in parents' minds. One caveat: if your child is unaccustomed to old-school Catholic iconography, well, they will be afterwards.

"Mom!" My distraught 8-year-old informed me, "They had a big statue of Jesus and he was bleeding and had a crown of thorns on his head! And we had to walk through this cemetery where they had buried all these dead people!"

Thank goodness she didn't ask why Our Lady of Sorrow is so sorrowful. Next up: Vail Ranch and a walking tour of Old Town, Temecula. Let's hope they score a little lower on the creep-out scale.

Nightmares and sleeplessness aside, my favorite thing about the camp is that it is so wholesome. The activities are wholesome, the museum itself it wholesome, the field trips are mostly wholesome. There is no franchise here, no weird sporty-type inter-parental politics, no subtextual merchandising. There are no expensive dance costumes to be purchased, no junk-food-filled outings. It's just a bunch of good kids being adeptly managed by folks who genuinely care about passing on knowledge about the area's considerable history.

The camps run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day and--given the load of hands-on activities and the overall quality-per-dollar ratio--are a screaming deal at $45 per week.

Even if you've missed the camps, you should still check out the Temecula Valley History Museum. There are some genuinely fascinating displays documenting the various historical influences on Temecula.

Old World artifacts:

Original maps:















Replicas of Old Town:
















Reminders of a more recently bygone era:




















But the number one reason why you must not miss the Temecula Valley History Museum if you have children?

Stay tuned. That will have to wait until tomorrow.