Where to Wednesday: Explorit
Once again, I must admit in print my fear of science museums. Oh I love the playing, the gadgets, the things that make you go hmmmm. But when I am in charge of two energetic boys, the ratio of time to understand and explain how to work a display compared with the time they actually stay there can make it more frustating than fun. I know that Davis has an excellent science museum. Explorit is quite popular among locals and they even moved a few years ago into a fantastic more appropriately sized building. But I have not entered with both kids in tow. How could it possibly go well?
My motivations for today’s visit were not entirely pure. It was “Where to Wednesday” and I needed a spot to check out that was close to home. Also, I have had in mind to later on go to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and figured that by buying a membership at Explorit I could both support a local business and save on admission to several SF museums. If our visit to Explorit only lasted an hour, I could at least consider it an investment into other spots later. So let me speak to all the parents who would not consider it fun to chase your child from one brilliant but unpronounceable invention to the next… this place is fun! I’ll give you more details, but let me mention first off that the space is well designed. You can be in one area with one child while other kids are exploring different things and still be able to keep tabs on everyone. I think this was a key benefit for us, and can make taking kids of different ages a more pleasant adventure.
Here are a few highlights of our trip. When we first arrived a staff member was giving demonstrations of forces in motion. She had adults and children both participating as volunteers, and everyone in the room was focused on her questions and answers. The same room also held bug terrariums, puppet toys, and things for pre-verbal kids to explore while the demonstrations were going on. When she had finished with the forces in motion part, she brought out the resident blue-tongued skink for the kids to touch. Here again she engaged the kids in talking about habitat, camouflage, skeletal characteristics, etc. Presentations such as these are scheduled for noon and 3pm each day. Its worthwhile to time your visit to catch at least one.
Other parts of the museum both kids loved included a metal wheel that spins. You can balance objects on the spinning part and watch them roll around or fly off the wheel, depending on how they are placed.
In another location there is a small wind tunnel where you can place objects and see how well they float, depending on their design and weight.
The place my boys spent most of their time was at the sand trough. The base of the container that held the sand was tilted downward on one end, to allow the water coming from the faucet at the top to flow downward. With sand, rocks and play trees in the trough, one can’t resist building dams and water canals, observing erosion in action.
There were plenty of other great things to play with, but those were the ones that best captured my kids’ attention. In addition to the standing exhibitions, there is a second floor with rotating exhibitions. The next, “Wild Planet” runs from March 6 – May 23rd. Following that will be “Take Matter Into Your Own Hands.”
Admission to the museum is only $4 per person (ages 3 and under are free). You can enter for free on the fourth Friday of every month. Even if you’re a science-museumphobe like me, Explorit is worth checking out. I know we will be back. (I had to promise the kids we would in order to get them to leave.) If you live anywhere in the area (Sacramento and bay area folks, this includes you) consider investing in a membership. The list of museums that offer free admission to card-carrying Explorit members is significant.
Lead photo credit: cabayareakids.blogspot.com/
What a great deal! $4 per person!!
I love small children museum. Sometimes, kids enjoy them more and it seems they will gravitate and spend more time at each exhibit than running around trying to get in all in like a big museum.
[...] recently took a trip to a local science museum called Explorit. You can read more about that trip here. I always consider it a bonus when someone pulls out an exotic animal that can be pet, [...]