Before Covid, the Science Center had an amazing Discovery Room for toddlers and young children. My son absolutely loved the rocket ship playground, sensory bins, dramatic play set up, space table, and ball pit. However, when Covid hit, the Discovery Room closed for 2020.
What does the Discovery Room look like now?
Currently, Discovery Room activities are closed. However, the Science Center has a program called Discover Science with Me. Discover Science with Me is located in the Discovery Room.
Our Experience
We attended the Dazzling Dirt and Marvelous Mud event (#boymom). We arrived 5 minutes early to check in. We had to wear a mask and wash our hands upon entering the Discovery Room. We were assigned a table where a number of trays waited for us.
Our event had six activities ready for us. Each activity had a tray with supplies and an instruction card. The instruction card had the activity name and step-by-step instructions on how to complete the activity. We were able to explore at our own pace.
Our Activities
1. Making Mud: We had to make our mud by combining water and dirt. We tapped into our cooking skills— we used measuring cups and had to stir, stir, stir!
2. Mud Pies: We used our mud to create a yummy dessert. We had small pie pans, sticks, rocks, pebbles, and spoons available. We also had pretend ice cream supplies— you can’t have pie without ice cream!
3. Muddy Masterpiece: We had pre-made mud paint (brown and blue) available to create our work of art.
4. Mud Bricks: We were given pre-made mud bricks (that were already hard), clay, and a brick mold. We created a brick building using our clay as mortar. We also were able to mold new bricks for the next group of kiddos.
5. Mud Slime: We hid creepy crawlers in our brown mud slime. Then, we worked on our fine motor skills by grabbing all the creepy crawlers out using tweezers.
6. Dirt Dwellers: We read about Earth Worms and Pill Bugs (Roly Polies) and then explored their habitat. We observed, found, and counted multiple Earth Worms and Pill Bugs.
Discover Science With Me: The Details
Discover Science with Me is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, and Sunday at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. The session lasts 45 minutes.
Reserve your own table with no more than five individuals. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members.
Masks are required for anyone over the age of two for the full 45 minutes.
Discover Science with Me
Upcoming events:
July 15-18, July 22-25: Innovation Lab (engineering)
July 29-August 1, August 5-8, Math Mania (numbers, quantities, sorting, patterns)
August 12-15, August 19-22: Physics Fun (force, motion, gravity)
September 9-11, September 17-19: Fabulous Flying Things (explore wind)
September 24-26, October 1-3: Science of Play (blocks, cars, marbles, animals)
October 8-10, October 15-17: Incredible Insects and Super Spiders (observe, build, create)
October 22-25, October 29-31: Creepy Chemistry (Halloween science play- monster slime, dissect pumpkins, create potions)
