Science Museums |
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Too
Much Fun?
Science
museums for kids are a
curious hybrid: are they meant for fun? Or to educate?
My nearest city, Vancouver
B.C., has a science museum-- Science World
-- that's a great tourist
attraction, and when we visit, my kids have a wonderful
time and run around from one exhibit to another, trying to do everything
at once, like
maniacs.
But sometimes I wonder: couldn't they have the same kind of crazy fun at, say, the ballroom of a fast-food establishment? So much knowledge is laid out around them, yet they whiz from a cloud chamber to a gravitram in two seconds flat...
I do see a few youngsters listening attentively to presentations, or quietly exploring--
| but they're always someone else's kids! |
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Nonetheless, many cities have created impressive high-stimulus science "playgrounds" that are great places for out-of-towners to visit, and lots of fun for locals, too.
Tips for visiting science museums:
- If you'll visit a science museum more than once a year, consider an annual membership, which often includes admission to a whole network of science museums in other cities, too.
- Allow extra time-- and money!-- to visit the gifts stores that are a feature of most science museums. These gift stores are a wonderful source of books and toys that mix education and fun. Most gift stores offer discounts to members-- sometimes considerable.
- Allow even more extra time to have a lunch break during your visit to a science museum. You might find a restaurant right at the museum; otherwise, get a hand-stamp and return later. Your kids will be refreshed after a break.
- many science museums have an Imax theatre. Check the show schedule in advance: if multiple shows are running, the one you want may not be shown the day of your visit. Ticket price is usually extra, but with a discount for visitors to the science museum.
- stick close to your small kids, in areas where "taking turns" is needed for hands-on exhibits at science museums. You may be surprised at how some parents let their kids "hog" the fun! Your own small child may experience frustration or even tears. Don't hesitate to contact staff if "hogging" goes too far: science museums are supposed to be fun for every kid!
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continue to links for science museums around the world. |
