A Toddler's Guide to Princeton U

We had guests last weekend including this little sprite. 

One morning we took our kids to run around campus and the toddler-friendly aspects of those grounds were very apparent.  For example:

Tigers.
We would have done the full tiger tour had a nap not been on the horizon.

And Statues of People, too.
This one is of John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration of the Independence, Scottish clergyman, and past president of P.U.  Nearly in unison our three kids identified him as soon as they paused to look at his statue:  "Jesus!" Well, OK, so they noticed the eagle first.

Colors.
Bright green ivy.  Dark red brick.  I love these giant colonial blue doors on the oldest building on campus Nassau Hall.

Letters of the alphabet
carved into the beautiful courtyard of East Pyne Hall, the campus' original library.

Lots and lots of steps.
Note that I did not say that this campus is perfectly stroller-friendly.

And even more sidewalks and pathways that require no hand-holding--I'm pretty sure this is a toddler's favorite part of a college campus.  No time for history lessons, no time for architecture admiration.  Just keep going, their little bodies seem to tell a toddler.

Other things they loved include the squirrels, the maintenance vehicles (setting up for graduation activities), and all of the benches we could have used as snack pitstops.

My list of "loves" for that day included my dear friend J and the beautiful weather that made a long, toddler-exercising walk possible. I love it when J and I get a chance to visit, and this weekend will be another bright star in my memories of them.