Hobbies that Begin with "M" - Blogging from A to Z Challenge

During the 2018 Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I will be focusing on hobbies that I have introduced to my daughters to through their childhood and teen years. Some were done as part of homeschooling, while others were areas that we explored because we were interested in the subject or activity. These are hobbies that anyone of any age could try as well.

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Sophia and Olivia have explored several hobbies that begin with the letter "M": miniature golfing, model building, model railroads, and mythology.


Miniature Golfing

On October 11, 2013, we had a fun time playing miniature golf at the Mall of America.

There weren't a lot of people there so we had the course essentially to ourselves.

We could take our time and enjoy each area.

There were challenging aspects - like hitting the ball in the cave and have it come out the other side.

The final part - getting a ball into the hole - sometimes was the most difficult part of the game.

We have gone miniature golfing other times and have had a lot of fun. It's interesting to see the different courses and challenges for people who enjoy miniature golfing.

Model Building

Olivia has done some model building which she enjoyed. The pieces were very small and there was a certain order that the models needed to built.

The models she chose have been buildings.

She likes architecture and design, so assembling these models of buildings fit right with her interests.

Model Railroads

On January 26, 2008, we went to a model train show. There were garden trains (shown below) which the girls liked watching as they went around the tracks. 

There were miniature railroads also. Seeing the different set-ups gave a glimpse into the owner's personality and creativity.

On June 18, 2017, we went to an event hosted by the Minnesota Garden Railway Society. Held at a person's home who had a garden railroad, we were so happy to have gone to this free event.

There were little scenes around the display - including the one below that had an operating gondola system.

There were plants combined with miniature buildings and garden trains.

It was much larger than we anticipated with many different scenes and plants to look at.

The Lutz Garden Railroad was our first introduction to seeing operating garden trains in a family's backyard. We're planning to visit more railroad gardens in coming years.

Mythology and Myths

The girls have read a tremendous amount of books about mythology. They know the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses like the back of their hands.

One year, they received a book from Ireland, Irish Myths and Legends. It has four myths in it which were beautifully written and illustrated.

There are pop-ups, flaps, and other interactive elements in this book. This particular page is from "The Children of Lir."

Although not mythology per se, the girls have been introduced to some Minnesota myths including Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox.

Taken on September 5, 2012.

For our 2012 Not-Back-to-School trip, we went up north to Lake Itasca State Park and explored the Mississippi River through north central Minnesota. The statues above are in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Another Minnesota mythical character is Minnehaha - an Ojibwe Indian character from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 poem “The Song of Hiawatha.”

Minnehaha’s name associated with many places in Minneapolis, such as Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Park, and Minnehaha Creek. Minnehaha translates to “waterfall” or “rapid water” in the Dakota Indian language.

On June 11, 2011, Sophia, Olivia, and I took my parents for their wedding anniversary to Minnehaha Falls - where they met in the 1960s.

We had lunch together in the park eating food from a restaurant close to Minnehaha Falls.

It was a special and meaningful day for us.