Missouri Botanical Garden

Chihuly Nights

I already shared a look at “Chihuly in the Garden,” the Missouri Botanical Garden’s summer exhibition…now it’s time for a look at “Chihuly Nights,” the special ticketed event they’re hosting Thursday through Sunday nights through August. It was a thrill to get see these beautiful glass pieces lit up as the sun went down!

First, a look at the indoor sculptures that I didn’t previously share, beginning with the pieces hanging from the rafters of the Linnean House:

There are many displays inside the Climatron:

I especially enjoyed the glass Ikebana:

There were also some pieces in the new Emerson Conservatory:

Including some unexpected neon:

We saw the installations throughout the garden at varying light levels…they all looked amazing! The evening events at the Botanical Garden are rare, but they’re some of my favorites, because I love seeing how the light changes as the sun sets!

And finally, a look at an old favorite from a previous exhibition that is permanently displayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden…we don’t usually get to see it lit up by anything other than the sun!

I doubt we’ll have another opportunity to see the nighttime exhibition, but I’m really looking forward to seeing all of this artwork during the day throughout the summer!

2022-23 School Year–Week Thirty-One

The penultimate week of the 2022-23 school year is complete!

On Monday, we visited the Missouri Botanical Garden for the “Chihuly in the Garden” exhibition. The glass works are beautiful, and we’re looking forward to going back next week to see it at night!

We spent a lot of time wrapping things up this week. Ladybug completed the last chapter in her algebra 2 book, which was on vectors. All she has left is the final exam. She finished the chapter on kinetics in chemistry, and all she has left is the exam (do you sense a theme here?). She also finished reading “Everyman,” and just has to write one last paper on it. In history, she about Henry IV, the King of Germany (as well as Holy Roman Emperor)…she just has a few more chapters to go.

Chickadee learned how to read different types of graphs in math (she still has a full week of math lessons to go). We continued to read about dinosaurs in science. We finished Smoke on the Wind and started reading Meet Felicity…I’m hoping to keep reading those books over the summer. She had her last spelling test of the year this week, too.

We don’t have too much left to do next week, and a good bit of it is just for fun (including one last field trip I hope doesn’t get rained out)…stay tuned!

Chickadee Thursday

On Monday, we visited the new “Chihuly in the Garden” exhibition at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and it’s amazing! We’re looking forward to going back next week to see the displays lit up at night!

Chihuly in the Garden

Today is the opening day of the “Chihuly in the Garden” glass exhibition at the Missouri Botanical Garden! Chickadee, Ladybug, and I visited the Garden yesterday, and while they were putting a few finishing touches on the displays, for the most part, it looked like everything was ready to go. Here’s a look at some of the outdoor pieces (we’re going to take a look at the indoor glass in the future):

And a closer look at a few of my favorites, starting with a display featuring a boat on the Central Axis:

Speaking of boats, another one appears in the lake in the Japanese Garden:

The pink color of the piece in the Boxwood Garden is lovely, and I also love how it’s displayed:

But the Chinese Garden, which has elegant blue glass, might be my favorite display of all!

Next week, we’re going to “Chihuly Nights” to see the installations lit up…I can’t wait!

2022-23 School Year–Weeks Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight

Catching up on two weeks of school since Holy Week was so busy, but first, we had a fun Easter Monday field trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see the beautiful spring flowers in bloom!

Trying to think back over two weeks of lessons…Ladybug solved systems of equations and solved for mixtures in algebra 2. She read “The Literature of the Priest,” in literature, including a selection from The Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. In chemistry, she wrapped up thermodynamics with entropy and Hess’ Law. She read about the unification of Korea in history. In creative writing, she wrote a villanelle poem.

Chickadee learned how to calculate percents in math. We continued reading the second Kaya book, Smoke on the Wind. She wrapped up her chapter in science by learning about amphibians. In grammar, she did an extensive review of pretty much everything she’s learned so far this year. In history, she read about Attila the Hun, Stilicho and the Visigoths, and the Vandals destruction of Rome.

We’ve only got about a month of the 2022-23 school year left to go!

Chickadee Thursday

Last week, Chickadee and I gathered up all the change we had lying around the house and ran it through a Coinstar machine. We then took our riches to Starbucks. It was Chickadee’s first time to order Starbucks beverage…she got a pineapple lemonade!

We also visited the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since 2020:

I wonder what adventures we’ll have next?

The 2023 Orchid Show

After three long years, it’s finally time again for the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden! And the show is being held in the new Emerson Conservatory in the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center for the first time!

It was so good to be back. The flowers are beautiful, the new space is bright and welcoming, and the smell of the orchids was just like I remembered it. This is always a bright spot in what is usually a pretty dreary month, and I am so glad I will have it to look forward to every year again!