6 Stimulating Places Where Kids Can Learn About Science
Kids are full of questions and wonder about the world around them, and you want to encourage that, but there's only so much books and videos can get across. Each of these attractions introduces young minds to scientific concepts through exploration, interaction, or the chance to view wildlife up close. Your budding scientist will be thrilled to visit any of these places, and you might learn a few new things, too. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
6 Spots For Kids Who Love Science
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania | State College, PA |
| Squam Lakes Natural Science Center | Holderness, NH |
| Westchester Children's Museum | Rye, NY |
| Children's Museum of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Asheville Museum of Science | Asheville, NC |
| The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life | Kimmeridge, Dorset, UK |
The Museum Lab at Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
How To Get Children Interested in Science
If you're a parent who loves learning about how the world works, you might want to pass this intellectual curiosity onto your children. Of course, capturing a child's attention is easier said than done. Here are a few tips for how you can make learning fun for your little ones:
- Look at common plants and objects under a microscope
- Sign them up for a science summer camp
- Take a trip to a natural history museum
- Watch educational movies and TV shows
- Go hiking with them and teach them about nature
- Play board games that encourage learning
- Explain the chemistry behind cooking and baking
The Hidden Stories of Squam Lakes
Toys & Games That Can Help Kids Learn
- Coding Robots
- Math Games
- Mechanical Puzzles
- Science Kits
- Telescopes
- Trivia Games
- Solar System Toys
- Talking Globes
An Introduction to The Etches Collection
In Depth
Since the opening of the Brooklyn Children's Museum in 1899, many such museums have opened around the world to edify children as they entertain them. Science is a subject that lends itself particularly well to this type of environment, as models, games, and interactive displays turn often dry subjects into delightful fun. This list, presented in no particular order, looks at six institutions that teach science in a stimulating way.
At #1, Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania aims to provide engaging science experiences that spark creativity, curiosity, and imagination. First opened in 2007, the learning center offers interactive exhibits and hands-on programs designed to provide valuable informal education, especially in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in a fun environment.
Located near The Pennsylvania State University, Discovery Space often collaborates with students and staff at the Colleges of Arts and Architecture, Education, Engineering, and the Eberly College of Science to develop exhibits. The museum maintains education programs for babies, toddlers, and kids 5-plus. For groups, a variety of different field trip options are available.
Located near The Pennsylvania State University, Discovery Space often collaborates with students and staff at the Colleges of Arts and Architecture, Education, Engineering, and the Eberly College of Science to develop exhibits.
#2 is Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, which has brought people closer to nature since 1966 through spectacular animal exhibits, natural science education programs, an informal public garden, and lake cruises. Based in Holderness, New Hampshire, the center's mission is to advance visitors' understanding of ecology by exploring the state's plant and animal life.
The live animal exhibit trail features an impressive array of native mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The center's Kirkwood Gardens is filled with colorful plants in full bloom, attracting bees, butterflies, and birds of many species. Cruises bring visitors on to Squam Lake itself, with different guided tours that offer experiences for all tastes.
In the #3 spot, we've got Westchester Children's Museum, an interactive learning space providing children, families and school groups the opportunity to nurture curiosity, enhance knowledge and ignite imagination through creative hands-on exploration. It seeks to broaden knowledge of the arts and sciences, the environment, multiculturalism, and the local and global communities in an educational and recreational atmosphere.
It seeks to broaden knowledge of the arts and sciences, the environment, multiculturalism, and the local and global communities in an educational and recreational atmosphere.
Located in Rye, New York, the museum houses hands-on exhibits, like Toddler Beach, which provides young children an opportunity to develop their gross motor skills, and the Construction and Architecture Design Gallery, which includes thousands of small building planks. A space devoted to art mounts exhibitions that allow kids to nurture their aesthetic judgment. Field trip and group visit experiences are available for schools, camps, and community organizations.
#4 on the list is Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, which promises to take children on fantastic flights of imagination, and return them to Earth to splash in a river, hammer a nail, and ink a silkscreen. Named one of the nation's top 15 children's museums by "Parents" magazine in 2015, the Museum welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually.
Exhibits include MuseumLab, designed for kids aged ten and older, with cutting-edge experiences in art, tech and learning. For younger children, there are several different environments, like The Attic, which allows kids to play and explore, and The Garage, which highlights engineering. A variety of camps and youth programs expand these learning opportunities.
A variety of camps and youth programs expand these learning opportunities.
In the #5 slot, Asheville Museum of Science gives visitors an exploratory science experience. With fully interactive exhibits, street level access, and a variety of educational programs, there is something for the whole family. Founded in 2016, the museum's origins lie in the massive mineral collection maintained by area local Burnham Standish Colburn.
In addition to the Hall of Minerals, exhibits include the Southern Appalachian Forest, a hurricane simulator, the Panorama Screen for Planetary Exploration, the French Broad River Water Table, and extensive dinosaur and paleontology displays. A busy event calendar, as well as workshops and outreach programming, offer a variety of educational experiences for kids.
Concluding the list at #6, it's The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in the village of Kimmeridge, Dorset, England on the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It houses a large collection of fossils, all found in the area by one man: Doctor Steve Etches, who allows visitors to observe him in the museum lab.
It houses a large collection of fossils, all found in the area by one man: Doctor Steve Etches, who allows visitors to observe him in the museum lab.
This collection of Late Jurassic age fossils spans sea monsters, prehistoric predators, and the marine flora and fauna of 152 to 157 million years ago. Many of the gallery exhibits are outfitted with an augmented reality app, called Palaeo Go, that answers educational questions and displays dinosaurs and marine reptiles in 3D renderings.
