"Did that use to be alive?"

Thanks to Harvard University's wonderful holiday package, we three (Chris also generously gave himself the day off, which Charlie and I appreciated) spent part of the MLK holiday at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Charlie and Chris have been there together a few times, and it's only two buildings away from Charlie's school, so she's been several times with school, but it was my first trip.

Another museum, another magnifying glass.
As we came into the minerals exhibit, Charlie demanded that I go away because she wanted to see the exhibit and "tell the story to herself". She wouldn't let me get close enough to hear what she was saying, but needless to say, she talked to herself and pointed to the various rocks for a good five minutes. A docent in the making.
While there are some excellent modern exhibits, the bulk of the museum is old school taxidermy in random combinations with no real order. Charlie loves it. I thought it was wacky and very fun although the smell of moth balls/formaldehyde/embalming fluid made me a bit woozy after awhile.

A view from above:
We walked the aisles and had the same conversation with Charlie over and over again. Pointing to a case: "Did that use to be alive?" "Yes, Charlie". "And now it's STUFFED!" or alternatively "And now it's a SKELETON!"
Charlie gives her best gorilla impression.