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We’re off for another homeschool adventure. This time we’re going to Niagara Falls with my parents. My daughter is excited to go on holiday, but we didn’t do a unit study ahead of the trip, so she doesn’t really know what to expect yet.

Tuesday – Driving to Niagara Falls

Today started early when Grandma and Grandpa got to the house so we could pack the van and head out, but first I ask K if she knew what a waterfall was (she didn’t) then looked through her books and found a picture of a waterfall to show her. She happily recognized it. In the van, I showed her photos of waterfalls on Google and a clip of a waterfall on YouTube. I remembered that she recently watched A Goofy Movie with me and hubs, so I found a clip of the waterfall scene to remind and show her that too.

Currently we’re 3 hours from our destination. K and O are sleeping, and I’m excited to share the Niagara Falls experience with them both!

Wednesday

Last night we ate at Rainforest Cafe. O was interested in people watching and stayed really quiet. K was super excited to see all of the animals and begged to go on walks to see everything. The kids also had their first look at the various waterfalls!

Today we took the Incline Railway down and traded in our Niagara Falls Adventure Pass tickets for badges. Then we started the day with Voyage to the Falls (not part of the pass). O seemed overwhelmed by vast amount of water pouring down on us from the mist, so we moved from the bow to the interior. K stayed out front with the rest of the family. She seemed overwhelmed too, but also had a “bring it” attitude.

After a bus ride, then meal at Table Rock, we jumped back on the bus (WEGO), rode to Stanley Avenue, and took a short walk to the National Shrine of Saint Therese. My mom considers Saint Thérèse of Lisieux her patron saint, so I’ve made her mine too. It was a beautiful shrine, filled with her quotes and a feeling of calm. I always make an effort to tell my daughter about where we’re going and what we’re doing, but I can tell that God is too big of a concept for her. She enjoyed checking out the gift shop though!

Thursday

Another ride down the incline railway and we were ready to go! One place I always love visiting in Niagara is the Butterfly Conservatory. I knew K would love it so I’m really happy we were able to visit. None of the butterflies landed on her while she was running around trying to catch them. When she slowed down, she was able to carefully go up to some that had landed and inspect them. I stayed with O and he had an inquisitive look in his eyes as he watched the butterflies.

Next up was the Whirlpool Aero Car. It feels like forever ago that I took the Whirlpool Jet Boat Ride with my dad – I think it was the summer I turned 15? – but it was pretty cool to see the jet boats from above. I pointed them out to the kids and K waved to the folks in the boat when they waved up at us in the aero car.

We stopped at Maple Leaf Place on the way back (omg – that fudge 😋), and walked to My Cousin Vinny’s for dinner (it’s official – we’ll definitely be stopping there for dinner every time we visit!)

Altogether, I think we had a very successful homeschool adventure. K loved the animals and the butterflies, but she wasn’t so impressed by the waterfalls. I’m thinking that she was too young to appreciate the magnitude… yet. We didn’t make the most out of our Adventure Pass, but I really wouldn’t expect to with a 3.75 year old and an 11 month old. Luckily we live in New York and will have ample opportunities to visit again in the future!