Have an aspiring scientist on your hands? Cultivate their interests at one of these wonderful nearby science centers.
Liberty
Science Center
Just a short Path ride outside of Manhattan, the a visit to the Liberty
Science Center will transport you into a world of science, history and
interactive exhibits. Watch as your children learn how skyscrapers stand so
tall before building their own, or help diagnose a patient’s mystery pain
before scrubbing in to help with the surgery! Exhibits on wildlife, world communication,
electricity and water are suitable for kids from ages 2 to 15. Catch an IMAX
film on the nation’s largest dome screen after your tour of the museum. 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey
City, NJ (201) 200-1000, lsc.org.
Hall of Science
You’ll have to drag your children away from this museum after they
discover how much fun science can be! Watch as they play mini golf in the
rocket park, learn about motion and gravity, or search for life beyond earth as
they travel the solar system. The “1001 Inventions” exhibit will be around
through April, at which kids can discover the history of the men and women who
have contributed to the technology we have today. We also love the museum’s new exhibit, “Connections: The Nature Of Networks,” which explores different ways to connect around the world, from a spider’s web to New York City telephone wires and a network of rivers. Kids can test their strength in the exhibit “Internet Arm Wrestling,” where they can virtually arm wrestle with fellow museum goers in Iowa, California or Mexico, or see cause-and-effect in action with “Ropes and Pulleys,” a 20-foot kinetic sculpture that lets users operate moving wheels and pull ropes to see how one small change can have a major effect. 47-01 111th St., Queens, NY,
718-699-0005, nysci.org.
Wonder Technology Lab
Do your children play video games, visit websites and watch television? Then
they’ll be secretly learning science as they race through the Sony Wonder
Technology Lab, learning how signals are transmitted, how robots perform
surgery and how animated films are created. An interactive floor lets kids move
their light around the stage, have their very own dance moves turned into a
groovin’ cartoon character through a motion capture, or record their own
musical performance for a virtual audience in the music studio. 550 Madison
Avenue, New York, NY, 212-833-8100, wondertechlab.sony.com.
American
Museum of Natural History
This museum has plenty to excite even the biggest science buffs. Kids
can track real time earthquakes in the Discovery Room, step inside the deep
recesses of their brain at the “Brain: An Inside Story” exhibit and take a
journey to the stars in the Hayden Planetarium. If your children are more
natural scientists, check out the amazing Butterfly conservatory or check in
with the lizards on exhibition. 79th Street and Central
Park West, New York, NY, 212-769-5100, amnh.org.
Science Center
Take a day trip out of the city
to check out this extensive science museum, with exhibits on robots, space
travel and a virtual energy city. Families can test out helicopters and trains
in the “forces in motion” exhibit, or encounter the Connecticut River and test its
health and pathway. Museum guests can also stop by the KidSpace, designed for
children ages 3 to 6, which features a ball wall, whooshing waterfall, and
search and find adventure. 250 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford,
CT, 860-SCIENCE, ctsciencecenter.org.
Photo: The New York Hall of Science.
