During these super cold Pittsburgh days, I’m longing for something to get us out of the house and keep us busy. While Dan might think I’m collecting new museum memberships just as fast as I’m collecting new ribbons, I have no regrets in our recent purchase of a Carnegie Museum Membership.
One of my favorite things about their membership in comparison to some others is that the membership can be in the name of one adult for a two adult pass. Which means that I can take my husband, my mom, OR a girlfriend. As children aged two and younger are free, we luck out only needing a Dual membership to cover our needs.
While there are TONS of things to do at the science center, for right now, we hang out mainly in the Exploration Station Jr. on the fourth floor. This one area is enough to keep us busy for at least an hour or two, which is about the extent of our outings.
One of the main highlights of the activity area, for kids aged 3-6, is the giant water table. Complete with fountains, streams, lots of balls, funnels, scoops and more – it’s the first place my kids run when arriving. I hustle to strap them into the provided smocks before they get their clothes soaked. If your kids are like mine though, smocks don’t offer much protection. I dress them in layers to keep long sleeves from dipping into the drink, and bring extra clothes all the way down to alternate shoes. SUPER fun and worth the drive down all on it’s own!
Other amusements include a GIANT Operation game, letter blocks, lots of books, miscellaneous building materials, and a favorite bin full of stethoscopes and otoscopes.
Above our heads, a climbing apparatus reminiscent of your local playground gives kiddos a view from the top. No slides necessary, but lost of portholes and stairs for little climbers.
There are more ball gizmos than a kid can handle at the Science Center. Load them into buckets, shove them into a suction tube, or crank them through a tunnel – all path leads to a holding area above you. Once enough balls have been loaded, the bell will ring and you’ll be showered by balls from above.
What else can you do with your toddler at Carnegie Science Center?
– Meet a friend in the lot tunnels (top left)
– Brush a set of giant dentures, sit on some molars and pose next to a huge toothbrush (top center)
– Pretend to be a farmer (top right)
– Play a tune using unusual percussion instruments (bottom left)
– Visit the resident reptiles (bottom center)
– Get building with these gigantic lego-esque blocks. (bottom right)
We also enjoyed a trip through the miniature railroad and had a bite to eat in the cafeteria. Definitely enough fun for (at least) a monthly trip to keep us entertained – we can’t wait to go back! Hopefully we’ll be able to share more of the fun in a future Field Trip Friday post!
*Thanks to our friends Katie and Audrey for joining us! Check out Katie’s blog at http://b00kends.blogspot.com/!*
The Science Center is also offering special activities on Muchkin Mondays! Who’s joining us next time?
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What a great science center! At least there are great indoor options on these cold days ;). Thanks for linking up!
This makes me want to go here!