Kids

words by > Joanne Cronrath Bamberger

Museums and children go together like hot dogs and peanut butter, right? Not according to the Association of Children’s Museums, which says that there are about 300 museums in the US that are geared specifically for toddlers through teens— featuring a variety of hands-on exhibits to help foster children’s creativity. A family outing to one of these children’s museums could be just the cure for wintertime boredom.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

One of the most stunning features at this, the biggest children’s museum in the world, is called Fireworks of Glass—a sculpture by renowned glass-blowing artist Dale Chihuly. After getting a 360-degree view of this 43-foot tower of primary-colored spirals and curlicues, kids can create their own Chihuly-like creations from colored plastic pieces that resemble those in the sculpture.

If dinosaurs are more to your child’s liking, try out the Dinosphere, which features one of the largest fossil displays in the Unites States. Kids can also visit the Paleo Prep Lab, where they can assist museum professionals in cleaning and preparing actual fossils, as well as the on-site Dinosaur Dig, where little ones can get their hands dirty and experience what it’s like to be out in the field exploring for fossils and dinosaur skeletons. www.childrensmuseum.org

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

For a slightly different take on a kid’s museum experience, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a lot going on. The Gates Planetarium features several shows to capture the minds of budding astronomers, such as “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity” and, starting in February, “Cosmic Collisions,” narrated by Robert Redford.

For children who like things from under the sea more than outer space, opening January 1 in the museum’s IMAX theater is a feature called “Dolphins,” which looks at the adventures of a dolphin research team and explores their study of dolphin communication and behavior. Watching the movie, you’ll feel like you’re there, swimming along with the sea creatures, without the need for scuba gear! www.dmns.org

Exploration Place, Wichita

If traveling back in time sounds like fun, Exploration Place in Wichita recently finished an extensive renovation of its Kids Explore Pavilion, with an interactive exhibit called “Once Upon a Castle… Where Kids Rule.” The 4000-square-foot pavilion features a three-story stone castle with a working blacksmith shop, suits of armor, medieval gardens and an alchemy lab that can spark a child’s interest in the Knights of the Round Table or Guinevere and her maidens.

Of course, a children’s museum in Wichita—home of numerous aviation manufacturers—must have an aviation exhibit, and Exploration Place delivers. Beyond merely looking at models of aircraft, children can climb into a horizontal flight simulator and experience what it must have felt like to be one of the Wright Brothers on their historic first flight in Kitty Hawk. http://go.exploration.org