Want a great day away? Escape into childhood!
By Marilyn Loeser
Finding myself on the other side of 50, with my own
children grown and no grandchildren on the way, it’s been a long time since I
had a child-oriented adventure.
That is until a string of happenstance stops allowed me to
see the world from a child’s point of view the day I visited Scarsdale, New
York.
Located north of New York City, Westchester County is a
frequent destination for my husband when he travels on business. On my own for
the day as he attended business meetings, I thought I’d go shopping. Pulling
into a shopping center on Central Park Avenue, a sign for The Scholastic Store
caught my eye.
 The name “Scholastic” has been a trusted name in children’s
books and educational materials for generations, so I decided to see how things
might have changed since my own children were bringing home Scholastic Book Fair
brochures.
I figured there’d be books and probably computer-based
educational tools, but what I found was a store, organized by age-specific
products and themes. Each area had its own books, toys, plush animals, puzzles,
CDs, videos, games and interactive books.
 There’s even an Educational Resources Department with a
selection of teaching and curriculum materials including books, software,
workbooks and homework helpers.
In the center of the store there was also a glass enclosed
space, so I asked the store manager, Michael Strouse, what the space was used
for.
“It’s our Activity Greenhouse,” he said. “It’s an area
where children can participate in crafts, organized activities and birthday
parties.”
 As if on cue, children started arriving, each with an adult
in tow and holding a brightly-wrapped present.
“We have special events every month including character
visits and interactive workshops for teachers, parents and children,” said
Strouse.
“Let me show you,” he said. “This is a display of Klutz
Chicken Socks kits,” he said pulling a small book-like kit from the rack. “With
this one, kids make foam gliders. Teachers often bring students here as a class
project or parents will hold birthday parties in the greenhouse and give each
child a kit as the party’s activity. It’s amazing how each child uses their kit
to make their own unique project.
 “Chicken Socks are for ages 4 and up. And we have kits for
children 7 and up also made by Klutz,” he said pointing to The Klutz Book of
Paper Airplanes.
He told me this is one of only two Scholastic Stores in the
world; the other one is located in New York City. Story Times with Scholastic
Story Tellers are held every week at both stores. Interactive events also
include author readings and character visits.
I thanked the manager and continued to walk through the
educational wonderland, from an area with material for infants and toddlers to
picking up a familiar The Magic School Bus book that’s been popular since my own
children were young.
Past Clifford the Big Red Dog and
a display of Counting in the Garden books with colorful companion rabbits, I left the store and decided to visit nearby Greenburgh
Nature Center for a stroll in the early-spring sunshine.
 After
parking, I followed a sign pointing toward the Manor House. Thinking I’d find a
museum-style house filled with antiques and a guide explaining the significance
of its occupants in a hushed voice, I was surprised when, again, I watched as
four- and five-year-olds pulled along an adult companion and carried packages
wrapped in brightly colored paper and ribbons.
 The Manor House was, instead, the centerpiece of the nature
center and rooms had been transformed into a live animal museum. More than 120
specimens, a "hands on" discovery room, greenhouse, nature-arts exhibits and a
small gift shop fill the space.
Again, I found myself in the midst of a birthday party in
what was once-upon-a-time most likely a parlor. Gathered on the floor, wide-eyed
and curious, the children timidly greeted Big Foot, a friendly and cooperative
tortoise.
 Quietly,
I left the small room and walked through the rest of the house, looking in on
all sorts of wildlife and understood why, like the Scholastic Store, this would
be the perfect child destination.
The house was constructed in 1918 by a direct descendant of
Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The homeowner was a
physician, naturalist and conservationist and was a member of an early Alaskan
expedition. He named the estate "Nunataks," an Eskimo word meaning "Hill of
Stone."
The center encompasses 33 wooded acres and features trails, a pond and orchard,
maple sugaring site and gardens. Because of the wide variety of trees, ferns and
flowering plants, it’s ideal for wildlife nesting and visitation.
 The property
also is located at a junction of two bird migration flyways. Because of the loss
of suitable habitat throughout the area, the property has become an oasis for
spring and fall migrating songbirds.
After a leisurely stroll, I decided to make one more stop
before heading back to the hotel to meet my husband for dinner.
I had read about Scarsdale’s history and knew it was named
after the English Manor of Scarsdale and was established in 1701 by Caleb
Heathcote, who came from Scarsdale, Derbyshire, England.
The Scarsdale Historical Society maintains two buildings
open to the public — the 1828 Quaker Meeting House and the Cudner-Hyatt House
built in the early 1700s.
 Adrienne Pincus
met me at the complex and showed me into the Quaker Meeting House. The current
exhibit — Turning Points, Documents that Shaped America — is a fascinating look
at history through rare documents.
Included is the first exact facsimile of the Declaration of
Independence, John Adam's Legal Notebook Leaves, letters written and signed by
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, a full early printing
of the U.S. Constitution, and first and second drafts of the Bill of Rights.
In addition to documents, many historic newspapers, maps
and photos are on display. The Sept. 29, 1787 Providence Gazette and Country
Journal has the full text of the Constitution on page 1 and parts of pages 2 and
3, concluding with signatures in type of George Washington and the other 38
delegates.
“The exhibit was scheduled to end, but has been extended
due to its popularity,” said Pincus. “We have a lot of school groups come
through this museum and the Cudner-Hyatt House next door.
“Children are as fascinated as adults when they see
three-dimensional proof of their legacy as Americans,” she said.
 It became clear that her time with children, shaping their
understanding and sparking their interest in history, was her passion. I began
to once again allow myself to see this place as a child might. Leaving out my
own knowledge and seeing the items she pointed out with a new curiosity,
especially when we walked next door to the Cudner-Hyatt House.
Built circa 1734, the house tells the story of the two
families who lived in it for 232 years: the Cudners, from pre-Revolutionary War
days until 1836, and the Hyatts, from 1836 to 1972.
 We entered through the kitchen, where an 1882 cast-iron
wood-burning stove dominated the room. “The house and museum are now on one-acre
of land, but the farm once included more than 200 acres of farmland, orchards
and pastures between the Hutchinson and Bronx Rivers,” Pincus said.
The farmhouse is furnished with appropriate
mid-19th-century period pieces reflecting a family of modest means including
furniture, a parlor organ and stereoptican, bedchamber quilts and bed-warmers,
 and utensils, clothing, toys and games throughout the house.
“It’s so much fun to introduce children to the past,” Pincus said. “They’re
fascinated with life nearly 200 years ago: washing clothes in a wash-tub,
scrubbing the floor, hauling water and learning about what children did for fun,
their activities and games.”
After the tour, I walked around the yard, taking photos of
spring flowers and thinking about my day of “new” childhood memories.
 If you go:
The Scholastic Store is located at the Scarsdale Park Mall,
450 Central Park Avenue (Route 100), in Scarsdale and is open Monday through
Friday 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday
10 am to 7 pm and Sunday noon to 5 pm.
For more information call (914) 725-7201 or check the
website at
www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/stores/store-scarsdale.htm.
The Greenburgh Nature Center is located at 99 Dromore Road,
Scarsdale and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and
weekends 10 am to 4:30 pm. Closed Friday and selected holidays. Admission is
charged.
The grounds, however, are open daily from dawn to dusk.
For more information call (914) 723-3470 or check the
website at
www.townlink.com/community%5Fweb/gnc/.
The Cudner-Hyatt House Complex is located at 937 White Plains Post Road in
Scarsdale. For more information call (914) 723-1744 or check the website at
scarsdalenet.com/historicalsociety/.
 The buildings are open by appointment on weekends.
I stayed at the new Sheraton Tarrytown Hotel, 600 White
Plains Road, in nearby Tarrytown. The new hotel is perfect for vacationers or
business travel with its large work space, Internet connection and office
chair.
After all, half of my traveling party was working.
For more information call (914) 332-7900 or check the
website at
www.specialoffers.starwoodhotels.com/Sheraton_tarrytown/so.htm?PS=PS_aa_MidAtlantic_Google_sheraton_tarrytown_ny_120506_NAD_FM.
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