Good For You!

“Cool-O!” my first grader squeals as she sees the new “Good For You” exhibit at the Olympia Hands On Children’s Museum. The Smart Choice Deli is her first stop where she builds a cheese, tomato, and lettuce sandwich that she calls the Super Duper Whooper. Slipping her hand into the bakery case, my toddler, Ahna, takes out a breadstick, which she samples, and makes a face as if to say, “Mom, did you know this tastes like plastic?” I deposit it in the needs-to-be-sanitized bin and we head to the pretend grocery store.

As a nutrition-conscious mom, the variety of seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and baked goods impresses me. I tell my kids to fill their plates with different colors, and there is a rainbow of choices here. Organic packages on the grocery shelves attract Maya, “Hey, we have these at home!”

In the kitchen, 18-month-old Ahna spends most of her time on the turquoise phone, while she pulls open drawers stuffed with food and utensils. “Cheese! Cheese!” she says with delight to Dad on the phone.

I investigate the refrigerator and freezer and find hidden pieces of cake. “Tell Daddy there is gluten-free cake too,” I whisper.

“Do you think I’m allowed?” Maya asks me before climbing up the two-story play structure. I nod. I love bringing my kids to the Yes Zone. Can I try on these boots? Yes. Can I make you a bouquet? Yes. Can I put these eggs on the delivery truck? Yes. Can I take your temperature? Yes.

As we enter the Animal Hospital, Ahna goes right to the vet’s phone and begins making another call to her Baba (big brother). Maya asks me what is wrong with my pet and I grab a big stuffed dog and tell her that Woofy hasn’t been feeling so well.

She looks concerned as she begins triage.

She gives Woofy a shot through the tongue which makes my eyes water and tells me he’s got to keep his mouth shut for it to work. I hold the snout firmly while Ahna makes “meow” sounds at both the turtle and the cat.

After taking Woofy’s temperature Maya reports, “It’s the highest temperature you can have. And I have more bad news,” she continues, “which doesn’t mean I’m a bad doctor, of course, but his heart is broken. It’s not moving a bit.”

I regard her quietly. This is where real life meets imaginative play. Maya’s first dog, Henry, had to be put down to keep him from suffering. She is working through it by play-acting and I realize that Woofy is going to be saved in a way Henry couldn’t.

“Oh, look, he just needed a nap!” she grins and Woofy gets to go home with me.

We pick apples, gather eggs and harvest vegetables while Ahna swings the stop sign on the delivery truck and yells for us in baby babble to hurry up. Open-shut. Open-shut.

“We are heading West for Winter,” Farmer Maya tells us. Her cheeks are pink and she’s little winded by the time the truck is ready to pull out. “I just like to work hard,” she sums up. Apparently so does our driver. Open-shut.

Today we skipped the other exciting exhibits—Build It, Backyard Wilderness, Working Waterfront, and Young at Art Studio—so that we might harvest an orchard, build better meals, talk on the phone, deliver food to those who need it in the west, and save the lives of animals.

To find out more about the Hands On Children’s Museum visit their website.