Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage

After finding such a great Ritz Kids program in Orlando, Florida we decided to start venturing to other locations when the opportunity arises.  Since we are studying Deserts we turned to the Ritz Kids at the Rancho Mirage Ritz Carlton for our next adventure.  Palm Springs has always held a special place in my heart. There is something about this area that has a sense of calmness to it.  Even through all the extremes of the desert habitat I still find peace here.

The cactus garden in the lobby immediately caught Jaxon's attention upon check in.  We arrived early to give ourselves enough time to enjoy the property for the day and experience some of the resorts activities.  The resort has nature walks, morning hikes, night hikes among many other activities scheduled through out the week.  

We choose a Terrace Firepit Two Queens for our visit as we love being able to spend time outdoors as an extension of our (living space) room.  This room exceeded our expectations.  It had an outdoor living room under a terrace where we spent most of our time.  The terrace had a fan and during the heat of the day patio misters would turn on to keep you cool.  Each night at dusk someone would come around and light our firepit.  The room was absolutely gorgeous and more comfortable than some suites we have had in the past. 

The hotel has two pools.  We never ventured over to the adult only pool.  The family pool was very comfortable and enjoyable. Even with a full crowd it never felt confining.

There was a wide range of extra curricular activities to do spread through out the entire resort.  Jaxon was drawn to the putting green as he was having withdrawals from his golf classes.

We found this Ritz Kids was set up much different than the other location we had previously visited.  The Ritz Kids program here is only available on Friday and Saturday's.  So we made sure to come into Rancho Mirage on a Friday and Saturday so Jaxon could take full advantage of the Ritz Kids program.  During the program they read books on the desert such as Way Out West Lives A Coyote Named Frank or How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears.  Anytime we have visited Ritz Kids locations they always do a great amount of reading to the children on the specific topics surrounding the location. Of course Jaxon's favorite part of the Ritz Kids was Draco, the resident bearded dragon, that he was able to observe being fed daily.  

Here is an example of one of the crafts that were created during Jax's Ritz Kids visit. Anytime we are studying a topic I try to collect as many books as possible on the subject.  On this trip one of the books we brought along was The Storm on the Desert.  Then at night we use them for reading time.  Which makes for a perfect ending to an adventurous day. 

In the past the Ritz Kids locations we had been to had a rigid activities schedule including daily themes.  Rancho Mirage was a much more laid back form of education then we were used to during our travels or even at home.  At first I was a little concerned as we had come to visit solely for the educational value of the Ritz Kids.  Since my mind is extremely structured I did not see how this was going to happen while they were playing games all day long.  Frank was the Ritz Kids counselor Jaxon interacted with during the majority of his time.  As our conversations continued we found out that Frank was a Joshua Tree Park Ranger in the past and his knowledge superseded anything you could read in a book or learn at a zoo.  His expertise on the local animals is what caught Jaxon's interest and even though he thought he was playing games the entire time his mind was soaking up all the grand stories of adventure Frank was sharing with him.  Again the Ritz Carlton has amazed me.  This location took education out of the norm and put it into a new perspective and method but was equally as successful in the knowledge Jaxon took away from the program.  

Los Angeles Zoo Delving Deserts

We have been members of the Los Angeles Zoo for the past year.  This zoo is actually one of our favorites in all of California.  We had just began our study into the desert habitat, when the opportunity came that they were holding a children's class "Delving Deserts"  we signed up immediately.  This was the first class that we have taken through the Children's Discovery Center and it made us want to take more.   We have taken zoo education classes at a couple locations in northern california and were not impressed with the curriculum.  

When we dropped Jaxon off at the Children's Discovery Center the classrooms were set up for all different ages, just as if he was attending a school.  This alone topped anything I have seen in the past.  When we entered the classroom each child had a cubby to place all of their belongings and was given a backpack fully equipped for their day of adventure at the zoo.  

When I arrived to pick Jaxon up I was able to observe the class through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined their classroom.  Through-out  the entire 15 minutes that I observed all the students sat quietly and gave the teacher their full attention.  I was impressed how after half a day of class they were still totally engaged in the activities.  The teachers were well organized and kept the class in order but still managed to get down to their level.  Which we all know is not always an easy task.

Once we picked Jaxon up he could not stop talking about his behind the scenes adventures with the Rattlesnake.  He was able to see a wide range of Reptiles and learn about how they adapt in the desert.  He came out with a wealth of information on the desert and the animals that live there.  We eagerly await more classes to come available .