The Children’s Museum of Houston is a 90,000 square foot wonderland that is just for kids! Originally founded as a way to promote childhood development, the museum delivers just that; but the kids are having so much fun they don’t even realize how much they are learning!
Take Kidtropolis for example. This is a miniature city for them to explore! Here they can work at a variety of jobs and even earn a paycheck. There is a delivery service, mercantile exchange, bank, restaurant, grocery store, veterinary office, art studio, news studio, and even a municipal building with an ambulance. The kids can go into each of these establishments, learn a bit about what goes on there, and even do the jobs themselves!
The outdoor, water-focused FlowWorks is another popular area, especially during the hot Houston summer. The kids get their hands (and sometimes more!) wet as they affect the properties of waves and a vortex or figure out how to use hydropower by directing flowing water. They can even build and race boats to see which design works best. The central element of FlowWorks is the 18-foot cauldron that the kids can help fill with water. Watch out though, because when it is full it tips over and sends water everywhere!
In the PowerPlay exhibit the kids can get really active. They can climb the 40-foot Power Tower, which is like lily pads arranged vertically so the kids can go up or down from one to another. It is all enclosed, so there is no danger of falling here. There are also dancing games, a rock wall, a small area to do different kinds of exercise, and a place to create their own adventure/obstacle course!
Invention Convention is all about creating with a purpose. The activities change periodically, but the kids may create cars out of Legos and build rockets from paper and cups then test them in the launch cage. They may learn how to use gears or create visual effects by manipulating light.
Most of the second level of the museum is devoted to the Tot Spot. Here the youngest museum goers have an indoor and outdoor play space just for them. Children under three years old can “drive” the stationary cars, play in the ball pit, traverse a tot-sized “obstacle course,” build with foam blocks, vroom cars down ramps, and many other age-appropriate activities.
Scattered throughout the rest of the museum are many other exhibits and activities. Kids can learn important principles about physics, chemistry, math, engineering and much more. They can also learn about nature and other cultures, and be challenged by puzzles and optical illusions.
It can take a full day or more to go through the Children’s Museum of Houston and to experience everything there is to do there. If you need a break stop by the Fresh Café which offers nutritious meals and snacks or go to the Parent Resource Library which has children’s books as well as resources for parents. You can also check out a kid-appropriate short movie in the auditorium. And don’t forget to stop by Fiddle Sticks, the gift shop/toy store. They have lots of good quality, thought-provoking toys to take the fun home with you!
Contributed by Shanna
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