Places to Go - The Best Museum Membership EVER

Over the years, we've purchased various museum memberships, most of which have been relatively good investments. But our Maryland Science Center membership has paid for itself at least 5x over. First of all, we love the MD Science Center (click here to read our review) and we try to make it there a few times a year. But, most importantly, the membership grants free access to all ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) museums, of which there are HUNDREDS in the US alone (click here to see the full list). So whenever we plan a road trip or a vacation, I'll search the list for places to stretch our legs (and brains) for a few hours.

When we drive to Chicago, we often stop at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Center (the Children's museum is also included in the ASTC) and/or The Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland (the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is also free for ASTC members). Once we arrive in Chicago, six museums are now free to us (just in the city center alone). Admission at several of these museums is somewhat costly (for example, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry now costs $27 for an adult ticket and $18 for a child - that's over $100 for our whole family to spend one day at the museum). Luckily, a membership to MD Science Center only costs $150 for a family of five ($125 for a family of four). If you travel, this is the deal of a lifetime (sorry, this post is starting to sound really cheesy).

This summer, we decided to check out two new ASTC museums. On our way to Indianapolis, we stopped at the COSI Center in Columbus, OH (which was HUGE). And on our way to Smith Mountain Lake, we spent a few wonderful hours at Charleston, WV's Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. Plus, every summer we frequent the Science Museum of VA while visiting Dan's parent's in Richmond. Posted below are some of the highlights.



COSI CENTER (Columbus, OH) - This place was HUGE (Parents Magazine rates it as one of the "10 Best Science Centers", along with the MD Science Center). Upon arrival, a "petting zoo" of construction vehicles amused T to no end (there's nothing like "driving" a digger after a seven hour car ride). Once inside, the water exhibit rivaled anything that we've seen at Disney (with dark scenic lighting, eerie music, and huge Greek gods looming overhead). In the outdoor courtyard we used a lever to lift an old car. We also played with lasers, hung out in a (small) submarine, and sat on an astronaut's toilet. All before we hit up the kids' room. On the downside, many of the exhibits seemed (in my eyes) a little more flashy than educational, but whatever, we had fun.



Our favorite exhibit in the COSI center was, by far, "Progress." You begin by walking down a street set in the late 1800s. The kids checked out a carriage and the old post office, which was fun, but not that different from other "old days" streets we've toured before. BUT THEN, the next part of the exhibit shows the same street in 1962, complete with Spam window displays and an appliance store full of old tvs. My kids loved it. You can also hula hoop and/or "record" a TV broadcast.



THE CLAY CENTER (Charleston, WV) - Compared to Columbus's COSI Center, the Clay Center was much smaller in scale. But, in a way, I liked this better - the Clay Center was not quite as overwhelming and the experiments all did a wonderful job demonstrating key concepts without being too flashy. T and P had a great time manning the controls of a space shuttle, whereas F liked figuring out how to program a fountain. Plus, we all couldn't stop playing a Hollywood Squares interactive game about the human body (Funny Bone is pictured above) and learning how lengthy our large intestine really is (seriously, it goes forever). Plus the water area had all these funny props (old boots, a colander, etc.) for making fountains.



THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA (Richmond, VA) - This visit we only stayed for about an hour and a half, so we didn't have time to check out several of the exhibits. But we did learn how the museum teaches rats to play basketball (pretty cool). We also liked exploring our fitness levels in the museum's new Boost exhibit (where you can "test" your flexibility, memory, and strength). And, the kids always enjoy checking out the Imagination Playground Set and the giant bubble maker.

Places to Go - Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD)

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took the kids to Maryland Science Center, located right on the Inner Harbor, and everyone in the family had a wonderful time. First of all, the museum has a LARGE kids' room complete with "underwater" caves, waterplay, an upstairs fishing/boating area, train table, and several other fun activities (including an aquarium-themed baby room). Seriously, this room alone warrants a trip, my kids can play in it for hours. Museum Admission also includes entry to the planetarium where a rotating series of shows plays every hour to two hours (at 1:00 everyday the planetarium shows Sesame Street's One World, One Sky, perfect for the under 6 crowd). Regarding exhibits, the museum hosts a large dinosaur exhibit (where you can dig for "fossils"), a series of hands-on exhibits entitled "Newton's Alley" (T, in particular, loved the cloud-making machine pictured above), a great outer space exhibit (the girls are fascinated by Pluto's loss of planetness), and several other activities and things to do. A reasonably-priced cafe means you can extend any visit for hours. Due to the diversity of the exhibits both older and younger children will have a great time. Basic admission (excluding IMAX and special exhibits) is $14.95 for adults and $11.95 for children 3-12, though much more pricey than the Smithsonian Natural History Museum (which is free), it's worth the price as there is a lot more hands-on, kid-focused stuff to do than at the Smithsonian. For more information, click here.

Things to Do - Make a Grateful List (September edition)

Okay, so despite loving my life and my family and all that stuff (blah blah blah), sometimes I get rather down. I think we all do. In order to try and keep the "downs" away, every month I make a grateful list of 25 things that make me happy. I originally got the idea from this book - The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections, which is such an amazing read. On the same note, right after the girls' bedtime story (after we turn out the lights), I ask them to think of three things they're grateful for. Every day. Usually they say the expected (family, friends, teddy bears, etc.), but I still think it's nice to try and remember the good things. on a daily basis. so dorky, i know. But, as you've probably noticed, I'm rather dorky (if you're cool and you read this blog, please don't go away). So here's my Top 25 Grateful List from September. Feel free to take inspiration from it. Or scoff. Just not too loudly, I'm a sensitive sort.

(By the way, the pictures and the list don't really correlate, except all the pics were taken in September).

1. Finally, turning off the air conditioning and feeling the breeze through the windows
2. Picking our own potatoes at Great Country Farms
3. Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD (this place is awesome)
4. Date night at Evening Star with good friends
5. My husband riding his bike to work every day (he's so so much happier now)
6. The baby dancing to Taio Cruz's Dynamite
7. Duck donuts We lived on these at the beach. I ate over three a day, seriously they're that good. (but they're only available in the Outer Banks, so sad)
8. F's seashell collection
9. P spotting a crab (a big crab) and designating herself a "beach explorer"
10. Walking the girls to school in the morning and looking for "signs of fall"
11. The sound of the ocean, especially at night with the windows open
12. T (the baby) walking his froggy pull-toy everywhere
13. The Artful Parent mentioning my blog
14. The girls looking at old photo albums and F telling P "no, T wasn't born yet, YOU were the baby."
15. Pepsi throwback
16. F dancing to bluegrass at Cox Farm's fall festival (she really got her groove on)
17. Clarins' self-tanner (help for the truly pale)
18. Jenga and mariachis on Val's birthday
19. The History of Love
20. Discovery Toys Wiz Kidz Card Game - my kids love this game (especially F, the almost 5 year old, we played for hours on our vacation)
21. Whenever you ask F or P where they live they always say "Virginia the United States of America"
22. When babies fall asleep in the nook of your shoulder
23. Mondays (all three kids go to preschool on Mondays, so I get the morning off) & Tuesdays (all three kids are home from preschool so we all get to spend the day together)
24. Bachelor Pad (everyone needs a guilty pleasure)
25. My dad's health (it's not perfect, but all in all he's doing okay)

How about everyone else? Anything you're grateful for this month? I'd love to hear. Or, anyone have any additional ideas for trying to stay happy and positive?

Have a great weekend everyone! Monday is a holiday but I'll be back on Tuesday with new posts!