Hands-On Fall Fun for Families

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

30 Sep 2008 10:03 PM

While the new fall season beckons families outdoors to participate in kid-friendly activities sometimes it's also nice to have a place to go where your kids can blow off steam when Mother Nature throws you a curve ball.

If you live in a city with a children's museum then you know how valuable these structures can be. Some parents call these havens for hands-on fun sanity savers and if you have kids who have been cooped up for days because of inclement weather then you would probably agree with that description.

These days children's museums are bigger and better than ever. Two such facilities garnering a ton of press these days can be found in this country's largest cities--New York and Philadelphia.

In New York, the Brooklyn Children's Museum has finally reopened its doors after being closed for a year while it underwent an $80 million expansion. The museum, located in Crown Heights, is now double the size of its original structure and boasts a slew of new hands-on attractions for kids of all ages.

For example, the museum is now home to a gigantic sandbox, a garden where kids can harvest toy veggies, a petting center that includes a 20-foot albino python, and a massive log where kids can get a bug's-eye view of the ecosystem at work.

If you are planning a trip consider taking advantage of the fall admission specials: Entrance to the museum will be free from 5 to 8 Friday nights, through October 24th. In addition, special opening admission rates are $5 for adults and kids before December 1st.

In neighboring Philadelphia, the city's Please Touch Museum will be opening the doors to its renovated and enlarged quarters in Fairmount Park on October 18th.

The massive hands-on children's museum boasts 38,000 square feet of new exhibits - more than triple the current museum's exhibit space - with the centerpiece being a glass-and-steel addition that will house a 100-year-old carousel with 52 striking hand-carved animals.

Another masterpiece drawing rave reviews is Leo Sewell's 40-foot rendition of the arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty made of colorful toys of all shapes and sizes. Other exhibits at the museum making headlines include a transportation area where kids can work on an engine, inflate tires, and ride a bus; an outer space zone featuring flying machines; and a neighborhood where kids can shop at a market, deliver mail, and make deposits at a bank. The museum also offers an Alice in Wonderland-themed area complete with a life-sized rabbit hole, tea with the Mad Hatter and croquet with the Queen of Hearts; a water play table where children can race boats and rubber duckies, and a "Rainforest Rhythm" area with instruments made from natural materials.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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