The Sea Climb at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center; Gulfport, Mississippi
“This is great, Mom,” Nathan said as I pulled in at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. “It reminds me of my childhood.” Nathan is only eight-years old, but seems to believe he is no longer in his childhood. In a way, I understand his perspective. After all, he was a regular at “Meadows” (Nathan-speak for LMDC) when he was three and four-years-old. That’s half his life ago.
Due to reasons beyond our control, our trips to LMDC stopped abruptly. First, Hurricane Katrina swept an 11-foot storm surge through the first floor, destroying the exhibits, and causing catastrophic damage to the supporting structures: the education building, the gymnasium, and the extensive tree houses built among the live oaks.
Nathan in the Sea Climb; Lynn Meadows Discovery Center; Gulfport, Mississippi
Then, as the community and corporate sponsors pulled together to rebuild LMDC, Nathan’s life became dominated by surgeries. The first surgery occurred in Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to repair his congenital heart defect (he has Scimitar Syndrome with PAPVR). After heart surgery, we learned he had Congenital Kyphosis and needed spinal fusion surgery to prevent paralysis. He was in a body cast for several months afterwards. So we stopped going for a while, and Nathan seemed to have forgotten his old stomping grounds until I drove into the parking lot two weeks ago.
He quickly recollected his “childhood” and began reenacting scenes from that era. He scrambled up the Sea Climb, pausing briefly for me to take a couple photographs. He hopped out at the History Hotel on the second floor and sat down for “tea” and a plate full of “pastries.”
Nathan rings up groceries at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center; Gulfport, Mississippi
He visited Mexico at Celebrate the World We Share and shopped for groceries at To Market, To Market (chocolate milk, a baguette, an orange, Orville Redenbacher Popcorn, and a crab). Then he executed a flawless cooking show as if he were Emeril Lagasse in the LMDC Television Studio. He also performed about a half dozen experiments in A Matter of Science (and he thought he was just playing).
After a kayak ride down the bayou, Nathan made his way down Sea Climb to check out the first floor exhibits. He hopped a train at the Dolan Avenue Depot, and spent some time at the spacious train table. After riding the rails, he took to the seas at The Port, manning the helm and ringing the bell on a shrimp boat. Feeling a little creative, he stepped down the hall to the art room where volunteers showed him how to do “scratch art.”
Bubblemania at LMDC
When Nathan’s masterpiece was completed, we decided to take a shortcut through Bear Camp Bayou (for children under four) to check out Bubblemania, an outdoor summer exhibit. By pulling a long cord, he made a huge bubble sheet at one station. Then he tried out a machine that formed hundreds of tiny bubbles between two glass panes. Mostly, he liked making large bubbles with the assorted bubble wands. No one was looking, so I made a few myself (if the Executive Director, Cynthia Minton, can do it, so can I 
).
It’s amazing how fast two hours goes by at LMDC. I told Nathan it was time to go home, but he managed to talk me into ten more minutes. He needed to make a run through The Tree House Village for old time’s sake. I hated to interfere with his quest to reconnect with his childhood.
Nathan waves from the Tree House Village at LMDC.
[The Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is open Monday - Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm, during the summer (Tuesday - Saturday beginning August). Tickets are $7 for adults and children over age one. Family memberships are also available. For more information, contact LMDC at (228) 897- 6039 or check out their website at www.lmdc.org.]
Upcoming Events at LMDC:
•The WINGS Performing Arts Center of LMDC presents “The Wiz” at MGCCC, Jeff Davis Campus, Fine Arts Auditorium, July 17-19. Click here for tickets and details.
•A Circle of Friends presents “Performing Friends” on Saturday, July 25, 2009, 10am to 4pm. This free event will be held in the WINGS Performing Arts Foyer at LMDC. This is a family fun day which focuses on disability awareness.
DisabilityConnection.org, an Internet Resource Center for people with disabilities, has partnered with LMDC to bring this event. Expect a great day of performances, demonstrations, door prizes, games, food, and booths.
Tags: body cast, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, congenital heart defect, congenital kyphosis, Gulfport Mississippi, Hurricane Katrina, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Nathan, PAPVR, Scimitar Syndrome, spinal fusion surgery
July 13th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
That looks like so much fun! I love Nathan’s sayings; reconnecting with his “childhood” must have been wonderful! This is what I miss about having little ones. If I ever get to Gulfport, I’ll have to find a child to borrow for an afternoon of fun at LMDC. Thanks for sharing!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Nathan has kept us in stitches with his sayings and antics–he was a surprise baby, but boy, are we glad he happened! If you ever get to Gulfport, look me up–we’ll do lunch, and I’ll provide the excuses (kids!) to go to Lynn Meadows.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
It’s a deal!