Friday, Jan 27, 2012 Delta Dental Health Theatre, Arch & Museum of Western Expansion

Today I was determined to explore something new in St. Louis while I was still mobile and had the time with Hux.  My goal is to cover as much as possible in the "Things to do in St. Louis" in my WUMCHA book/St. Louis visitor's website, and with less than 2 months before "Baby Trilo" makes her debut, the time is waning fast.

  

The WUMCHA book had recommended the Delta Dental Health Theatre HIGHLY for preschoolers.  When I first read the title, I was picturing more of a theatre operating room where we could gaze

down on dentists performing fascinating fillings, root canals, etc....but figured that wouldn't be of high entertainment value for preschoolers.  When I checked out the website (http://www.ddhtstl.org/), it looked very kid friendly, so I started imagining a little museum with a theatre attached...

...then Hux saw me looking and liked the cartoon dragon and mice on the website so he was game, so off we went.  I knew the place was close to the Arch so we parked in the Arch lot, and Hux and I crossed the street and headed into the "Historic Laclede Station" part of town.  We spied the sign for the theatre quickly...

...not sure if you can see, but the sign says go to the glass doors.  So we did, and when we walked inside, on the right I saw The Old Spaghetti Factory!!  This is my personal favorite restaurant since childhood, and while I knew there was one around, I didn't see it when we walked around last time.  Now that I know, I'm dragging my friends/family to it every time we visit the Arch!!

Anyway-to the left was this little doorway, but the door was locked...so we kept walking, thinking I had the wrong entrance, when someone opened the door and let us in.

Inside was a big room, really colorfully painted, with lots of 'stations' for kids to play at between shows.

Hux was a little intimidated at first as we were the only ones there for the 9:30 show.  He halfheartedly played with the finger-puppet theatre while we waited for Miss Alice to set up.

Then Miss Alice and "You Can" the animatronic Toucan started asking us about how we use our teeth.

After Miss Alice asked to see Hux's smile, he gave her a great big one!  

Hux answered correctly that teeth were used for smiling and for "chomping" so the first few giant teeth were lit up as a reward! I had forgotten we use our teeth for talking (we tried to say "Thirty Thirsty Thieves" with our tongues out which didn't work so well).

Then Hux sorted foods that were healthy and unhealthy and put each in either the happy box or the sad box.  Hux, of course, tried to put the lettuce in the sad box because it doesn't taste good :).

He started to get the hang of it though with the melon and quickly put it in the happy blue box-if only he'd happily eat it!

Then it came to the Skittles (of course Mommy had just bribed him with a Skittles snack pack yesterday to eat his toast).  After Miss Alice said that they were really bad because they are full of sugar and stick to your teeth, Hux acquiesced to putting them in the sad box.

Then Hux got to brush the giant teeth.  I didn't realize that we were supposed to be brushing in circles, rather than side to side or up and down, so now we know-Hux get ready for circular strokes buddy (unless you are using the Spiderman toothbrush which does the job for us).

Hux had been answering so many questions correctly that many teeth lit up!  Please Note: this is only one of two sets ever made, and the other one is in disrepair in CA so be impressed! :) They are actually pretty cool.  I guess they used to sit on the floor which was a bad idea with preschoolers around, so I think the hanging option works much better.  This theatre has been around for 34 years; it was always in the current building, but they moved downstairs a few years ago and just renovated this past summer.

Next Hux worked on flossing. Yup, not only are we supposed to be brushing Hux's teeth twice a day (don't forget to brush the tongue too!), we're also supposed to be flossing the teeth that are close together...I think Daddy's getting that job!

Finally, we learned the importance of exercise for at least an hour a day ("You Can the Toucan" sang a great song about it). Hux was  happy to stretch (thanks Stretch and Grow sessions at preschool!) and then do the song's motions with Miss Alice.

Hurrah!  We lit up all the teeth!

As a reward, Hux got a really nice present- a bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, information and pink timer to time how long we brush his teeth for (or course the timer is 3 minutes, but we only have to brush for 2...in case you were wondering!).   

Although, upon reflection, my descriptions might have made the show seem like a guilt trip, it really was fun, and I loved that Hux was the only participant so he got to do EVERYTHING!  Plus, Miss Alice was incredibly nice and did the whole show, despite the fact that we were the only two people there.

After the show, Miss Alice broke out some fun toys/exercise equipment for Hux to play on...as a few other kids started trickling in for the 11:30 show (plus the scheduled Daisy troop!).

Once the Daisy troop showed up, Hux was ready to head out.  So we put back the vegetable puzzle and the breakfast puzzle (Hux was quite confused about what long, red sausage was...ahh, our little vegetarian :).  We walked back out and across the street to the Arch.

I never get tired of looking at it.  It's soooo cool and impressive!

Underground, not only do you buy tickets, but you also can explore the museum.  I love this mural of all the people it took to create the arch.

We had watched another guy pose like the bear while we were eating our pretzels, so Hux wanted to "be the bear" as well.

Then into the museum to listen to William Clark discuss his attempts to put aside land for the Indians (didn't work out so well Mr. Clark).

Chief Red Cloud discussed how he went to see the "Great Father" in Washington who told him that the interpreters had lied...and Chief Red Cloud reflected that he never got everything back he should have (I love that the figures actually talk, but then a plaque next to each person has what they are saying and provides where the quote was found--Chief Red Cloud's remarks were published in the Wall Street Journal in 1870!).

A soldier explaining how they were to keep the Indians from leaving the reservation, yet no one was giving the Indians any food so he didn't blame them for wanting to escape.

Notice what a great history scholar Hux is already...paying rapt attention and clearly reflecting on the injustices done toward the Indians...

 ...or perhaps he just liked watching them move and then knew Mama would buy him a cookie at the general store-hurrah!

A great morning, and a lovely afternoon so far as Hux is napping so I can post these right away.  Enjoy!