What it is: There's always something to see at each corner of the museum, but my family usually doesn't spend much time in the space section. Once we've seen it the first time, we don't have that much more to explore. However, now the museum has changed all that. Earlier this summer, they opened the Launch Lab in the space section. In the launch lab, kids can design and launch rockets, launch paper airplanes, and explore wind tubes and hover tables. My kids could have spent all day there! I asked one of the museum workers there, and he said it was a permanent exhibit, but I would go ahead and check it out, just in case it's a temporary summer thing.
Also, in case you haven't heard, they've reopened the Sound Space with a few changes. The Sound Space is an area basically behind the front desk with a floor that plays music and tracks you when you run on it. They've also moved the shadow wall from upstairs where kids can use their shadow to "catch" the image of falling rocks. The other addition is a floor where different patterns of light are shown from moving circles to "pong" like lines. I wouldn't have immediately guessed this, but my boys could have stayed there for hours. They loved chasing the lines and circles around on the floor. I saw all ages of kids enthralled by this exhibit.
We also noticed that they've moved the blue building blocks from a room near the kids play area to an open area near the space section. This makes it more likely to catch the eye of the kiddos and lead to some fun building.
Also, I had a quick question. My family only recently discovered this exhibit, but I have a feeling it's been there for a while. If you go just past Into the Mist there's a seed launcher where kids can place model "seeds" on the launcher and watch them be taken up into the sky and then fall at different rates. Does anyone know how long this has been there? Is it new? Regardless, if you haven't checked it out, it's yet another fun stop at the museum.
What we liked: There's always so much to explore at the museum. You can check out something different each time you visit. Are there any other fun new finds that we've missed?
What we would change: Exhibits change all the time, so sometimes our favorites are only there for a short time. But regardless of what changes, there will always be plenty to see at the museum!
Website and other important information:
Website: http://lifeandscience.org/
Address: 433 Murray Avenue
Hours: Summer Hours-Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm
Photos:
(the paper airplane launcher)
(a view of the whole aerospace exhibit)
1 comment:
The "seed launcher" has been there since Catch the Wind opened I believe. It was definitely there before my 5 year old was born, but not much before. It's one of our favorite out of the way spots too. It's amazing how long the pong-like thing holds the attention of kids, and adults alike. A great reminder that the simplest things are often the most entertaining.
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