University of Wisconsin’s Space Place!
Where your kids will excitedly learn about galaxies.
Where they will immerse themselves in displays about the
planets.
Where they will see satellites, examine the electromagnetic
spectrum, and learn the astronomical reasons for the seasons. UW’s Space Place is super cool. Unfortunately, it is not often open but
a couple times a month. You have
to go when they are having an event of some sort like a talk – see Aurora
seated so quietly in the back row.
Or, if you get lucky like we just did, in addition to a talk,
you stumble upon family fun night!
What a treat we had. After
exploring the museum, we were thoroughly entertained by a live science-comedy
performance. Who know science
could be so funny? Three-year-old
Aurora now knows the term “molecular structure” and how it relates to a ball’s
bouncibility! We interacted with
live animals from the zoo including a hedgehog, a foot long African giant
millipede, and a reticulated python.
In a scientific discovery room manned by UW student
volunteers, we examined the scales of butterflies, experimented with
hydrophobic sand in water, started a test tube of seeds, used M&Ms to
understand natural selection, compared the tonal qualities of different length
tubes, tasted the effects of adding vinegar to heated milk, looked through
prisms, completed circuits with our bodies, and created art with dye and
shaving cream.
On top of all these generous educational goodies, they fed
us dinner! Lasagna, bread and
lemonade. Two hours of
science-themed learning and I did not have to cook, man was I on cloud
nine. And, as if to make the night
all the sweeter, Aurora asked to stay for the astronomy talk, sitting quietly
and politely in the back row, occasionally lying down in my lap. When I would ask her if it was time for
us to leave, she would say that she would rather stay to learn about the stars
and the planets and the phases of the moon.
