We have a membership at our local Children’s Museum that we really love and use often. The museum is also a member of the Association of Children’s Museums which means that we have access to other museums across the country – usually with free admission. We travel a fair amount, so this has been a wonderful benefit for us and we’ve used it at many different museums over the past few years. If you have a local children’s museum and you do some traveling, definitely check out this potential benefit. Many gardens, zoos, science museums and aquariums also have similar reciprocal agreements – they’re fabulous!
This weekend, Tornado Dad surprised us by taking Friday off. We found a great deal on a hotel room on Priceline so we set off for the weekend. One of our stops during the weekend was a fairly small children’s museum that was on the reciprocal list. We were pretty impressed once we got inside because they had tons of fun things to play with and several science-oriented things to do. Tornado Boy was in heaven and he really didn’t want to leave when they were closing. Here are some of the fun things that we found:
I had seen Frigits recently and I was curious if Tornado Boy would like them. He liked them – I loved them! Tornado Dad had fun with them, too. If you have a magnetic board or refrigerator with space to work with, these are a great toy and a fun way to learn some introductory physics lessons. Here’s a video from vimeo of how they work:
After we finished with the Frigits, we found another cool magnetic toy called Gearation Refrigerator Magnets by Tomy. They’re similar to the Gears, Gears, Gears toys except that they’re magnetic so you can put them on the fridge. The main gear is battery-operated and allows you to change the direction that the gears run. These were fun, too. Here’s Tornado Boy playing with them:
I knew that the museum was going to be a huge hit when I walked in the door and saw the life-sized “Operation” game. I’d seen this once before at a Science Museum and we really, really like it. I like that it has both the scientific and common names for each of the body parts. Tornado Boy had a tough time getting out any of the pieces without getting buzzed, but he made a valiant effort. The tweezers? forceps? – umm… large operating device – was hard to control! LOL
Tornado Boy finished up the day doing a skeleton puzzle and then checked out the really awesome giant microscope. I wish we were closer to this museum. It really was great!
For more fun science activities, check out Ticia’s Science Sunday post at Adventures in Mommydom!
We have a children’s museum membership as well, and it’s been such a wonderful blessing in our house too, we also travel a fair bit.
Those all look like thing that would be wildly popular with my kids too.
Ticia´s last [type] ..Science Sunday: birds, turtles, and pandas
You really have a flair for reviews, you know. I have a strong desire to run and get science museum membership at once. Fortunately, I am in a hotel in Israel at the moment, and it’s 3 am at night
TB looks like he has tons of fun with gadgets – what a paradise for a curious little boy.
sunnyvale422´s last [type] ..Science Sunday – Dinosaurs Again
Magnetic toys are a great way to entertain young kids, as proven through the fun that Tornado Boy had while at the museum! Here at Tegu, we’ve been working on an innovative twist to a classic toy: magnetic wooden blocks. Tegu has had discussions with children’s museums in order to create exhibits similar to the ones you’ve mentioned. Could you envision magnetic wooden building blocks providing an experience like the ones above?
Maria at Tegu
Your blocks look really fascinating. Are the magnets strong enough to support vertical play as well as horizontal? Can they be used on a fridge?
Hi Pathfinder Mom! Thanks for your kind words. Yes, the blocks are strong enough to support both vertical and horizontal play. They can truly defy gravity! In fact, they stick to a variety of common objects including refrigerators and cars. Here’s a picture of the blocks in action.