It took us many adventures to find the right way to take our children to museums, zoos, aquariums, science centers, and similar places where, at first, their enthusiasm and sense of play will be greater than their scientific curiosity. The secret is to plan on going at least three times -- three trips of three hours is infinitely better than one trip of nine hours.  And many places, like the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., or Seaworld in San Diego, or Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, may take fifteen to twenty hours to thoroughly explore.  When visiting Air and Space, for example, we went for three hours in the morning, got some lunch and ice cream, then went to a completely different site for the afternoon.  We did this on five different days, so the children spent fifteen hours in the Air and Space Museum, but they never got bored.

The first time a family goes to a stimulating place, the children are bouncing off the walls with excitement (even traditionally schooled children often come alive on field trips).  This is normal and you should not discourage it -- you need them to see these trips as fun excursions as well as learning experiences.  But even if the kids have been so burned out by compulsory education that they act bored, let them get to know the place in their own way at first.  Allow the children to bounce from exhibit to exhibit, in order to get a survey of the place.  They may not be learning what you and the other adults think they "should," but they are familiarizing themselves with the place and picking up lots of little details you would never expect.  Notice which exhibits the children spend a little more time at for future reference.

The second time you visit the place should be a little less bouncy. Again, notice which exhibits the children seem to gravitate to.  Now you can start engaging them in conversation about the things they like.  You are not the lecturer telling them all about the exhibit, and you are certainly not the inquisitor grillling them on the facts.  But you are encouraging their insights, asking questions (even if you don't know the answer yet), prodding them to think a little harder about something, and pointing out anything important that they may have overlooked.  Remember, you are having a conversation with somebody you like.  Get interested in what they are interested in and let them talk about it. 

The third time the family goes, recommend that each child pick an exhibit which they will be the expert on.  Come up with some way that they will present or teach about their exhibit.  For example, if they like acting, tell them that they are newscasters reporting on this new exhibit, help them rehearse, then get them on camera. This is fun for the children, and gives them a souvenir that is a lot more memorable than a keychain. Consider doing this over the course of several years, and build a great video album.

We recommend that each family join a local science center, and buy a family pass. Not only do you get to go as many times as you want to that museum, but if the museum is a member of ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers) the family gets to go to other museums across the country for free.  In fact, our membership also worked at several very nice places in Canada.  Also your family receives 10% or 20% off in the cafeteria and the gift shop. Since we were going to the museum for free, we usually did not mind spending a little money on a book, poster, or lunch while we were there.

The following is a list of our favorite science centers with a link to each one. Please feel free to e-mail us (AnnSeveri@msn.com) and share your favorite science centers with us. Then maybe we can add a link for it. Be sure to tell us what you liked doing at that museum.