This past weekend we took our first adventure in our new City. We visited the
Walking to the main entrance is so much fun following the big red paw prints that lead you straight to it, they belonged to Clifford the big red dog!
The Museum has eleven permanent exhibits that are sure to keep you and your family entertained for hours! Among those exhibits are: Mammoth Discovery, Bubbles, Current Connections, Kids' Garden {open seasonally}, The Lee and Diane Brandenburg Theatre, Secrets of Circles, Streets, WaterWays all of these are located on the first floor. On the second floor are the Art Loft, Rainbow Pizza and Market and the Wonder Cabinet.
As you enter you will see a real fire engine, ambulance and horse drawn carriage. All of these were previously used in the City of San Jose and are so much fun to explore! Kids and adults can climb onto them and see what is it like to sit on the driver's seat, or lay inside an ambulance. This exhibit encourages dramatic play which is so important for imagination and creativity.
Hard hats and jackets are ready to be used! When you climb into the back of the ambulance make sure you read the picture poster that is telling the story of one of it's operators. We found this interesting, because we never think of everything that happens in an ambulance while it is speeding to reach a hospital.
This area also has working street lights that resemble to a busy San Jose street, kids can change the lights and use it to practice crossing the street. We took advantage of this and practiced with Adventure Girl.
On May 19th Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog opened it's temporary exhibit, it is ongoing until September 9th, so make sure you visit it. This exhibit is so much fun, you will feel as if you were in the books! with life-size scenery such as the Birdwell Island ferry and stop by Samuel's Fish and Chips where guests can "prepare" some great meals and charge their customers, all around the exhibit you will see mailboxes with "letters" that can be delivered and sorted in the post office.
During our visit we got to meet Clifford!
The Bubbles exhibit is also very fun, we learned why bubbles are iridescent and how they are formed. We then continued to the WaterWays exhibit!
WaterWays is a very fun and interactive exhibit in which you get to play with water pressure and place plastic balls on tubes to see the pressure move them up or out of a tube. There are smocks to put on so you don't get wet. There is a kiddie section for children 3 and under which has water tables perfect for their height!
Adventure Mom tip: If your kids are like mine, they might not want to wear the smocks so make sure you pack an extra outfit including socks to change them into after playing at the WaterWays exhibit. :)
The Secrets of Circles is wonderful to learn from, everywhere you look you find a circular shape and the are videos showing that even while dancing you make circles! It was very interesting. Mammoth Discovery has "fossils" ready to be dusted out of the sand. This will certainly be a Paleontologist to be favorite!
Right before you take the stairs to the second floor you have the Pinscreen, which entertained us for a while leaving our handprints in it. Make sure you explore it, it is perfect for sensory.
Adventure Mom tip: If your family loved the Pinscreen make sure you stop by the Museum Gift Shop and purchase a small Pinscreen for your home or as a gift! :)
On the second floor Adventure Girl made some paper puppets with materials provided by the Museum and next door to the Art Loft is The Wonder Cabinet an exhibit designed for children 5 years of age and under. Adventure Boy enjoyed this exhibit the most!
Everywhere you look in the Wonder Cabinet you are sure to find something to discover, a forest that is perfect to learn about your letters and read a book. A building center where foam shapes are large enough for toddlers to move and play with. Every single section of the Wonder Cabinet stimulates one of our senses: Touch, Look, Hear and Smell!
Inside the Wonder Cabinet is a small section with a door for children that do not walk yet where they may crawl and discover different sceneries. Within the Wonder Cabinet exhibit is a staircase to walk up to a very special setting, where your vision is sure to be entertained. At noon and 2:00 p.m. everyday there is story time in the Wonder Cabinet forest.
The Rainbow Pizza and Market teaches children how to incorporate a rainbow of foods in their pizza, there are so many options and designs to make it even more delicious for families. We are sure to try one of the ingredients on our homemade pizza soon!
The Kids' Garden was open so we took advantage to enjoy the cool breeze while we touched and smelled some plants, flowers and herbs. We learned how to make a fun petal bracelet and read a book on how to plant a garden at home.
We highly recommend visiting the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose, there is something for everyone and so much to learn.
The Children's Discovery Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday's from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. During the summer {starting May 28th} it is also open on Mondays. For more detailed information and admission pricing please click here
You can also follow the Children's Discovery Museum on Twitter and Facebook so you get updates on special events. The Museum's webpage also has a Kids fun page where to learn and explore, visit here
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