Museu dos Brinquedos

I took the kids today to the Museu dos Brinquedos, a nice 15 minute downhill walk from our place. A friend of mine got an email about special event that were being held over the holiday, so we decided to splurge the $6 R admission (hey, it adds up when you have 3 kids, especially when you're not exactly sure what you are paying for). I'm glad we went today rather than a non-holiday day. It's a nice little museum, and has some neat displays of toys from different generations. I tried to get a pictures of a Dr. Drill-n-Fill like I had as a kid, and a Tomy Onmibot and many others. My kids unfortunately did not appreciate my nostalgia, and I have to admit many of the toys are in such great shape, so it was a little like looking through someone's used toy garage sale. There is a nice outdoor "patio" of sorts, and the kids got to play with jump ropes, coffee can stilts (which I was amazed to realize that my kids have NEVER used before. They are so deprived!!), chalk, and a bunch of other outdoor games. There's a nice craft area, with a very patient and helpful attendant, and the kids made petecas out of newspaper and tape. Then it was time for a magic show, and Mr. Rossi the Magician was actually quite good. I would only recommend visiting the Museu if there is a "special" event, because the bulk of the displays just didn't do it for my kids. But watching a magician light his hands on fire and pull a dove out of his mouth made it all worthwhile. Afterward we went upstairs and played with some of the toys that you can actually touch, and the kids had a pretty good time with that, but I was feeling very claustrophobic and a little grossed out by the matted hair of the barbies and the well loved stuffed animals. But overall, not a bad experience. Now the kids are vegging out in front of the tube, watching cartoons in Portuguese while I'm eating lime cookies and trying to figure out what to feed them for dinner--hot dogs or sandwiches?