I am writing this post from a McDonald's playland. We just dropped Meg off at her painting camp at a very cool looking art studio. It is far enough away that I decided to hang around the area with Clare and Anne. We planned to go to a park, but I had to eliminate any park with a sprayground because Meg would throw a fit if we went without her. We stopped by a McDonald's to get Anne some breakfast (she slept late this morning) and realized this McDonald's had a huge playland. So for now, that's where we are. I remember taking my niece to a McDonald's playland about fifteen years ago and seeing a mom working on her laptop while her child played. I thought to myself, "What a great way to entertain your child while also getting your work done." And yet, it has taken me fifteen years to do the same.
I mentioned in my previous post that we recently went to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This museum is a favorite spot of ours, so there is nothing new in that. We, however, did go to the museum's Q?rius Science Education Center for the first time. On previous visits, we have spent hours in the museum's discovery room, which has become known as Q?rius Jr, but we have not gone to Q?rius, because it is intended for older kids. That being said, Meg is now eight and quite the science-minded gal. To some extent, she has outgrown Q?rius Jr and needs more of a challenge. Q?rius provided it.
Upon entering Q?rius, the girls' first challenge was to be archaeologists. They were shown a skull, which they were supposed to have found on a dig. Using other skulls as guides, they had to identify the type of skull it was. A staff member kindly directed them and gave them hints when they needed help
I mentioned in my previous post that we recently went to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This museum is a favorite spot of ours, so there is nothing new in that. We, however, did go to the museum's Q?rius Science Education Center for the first time. On previous visits, we have spent hours in the museum's discovery room, which has become known as Q?rius Jr, but we have not gone to Q?rius, because it is intended for older kids. That being said, Meg is now eight and quite the science-minded gal. To some extent, she has outgrown Q?rius Jr and needs more of a challenge. Q?rius provided it.
Upon entering Q?rius, the girls' first challenge was to be archaeologists. They were shown a skull, which they were supposed to have found on a dig. Using other skulls as guides, they had to identify the type of skull it was. A staff member kindly directed them and gave them hints when they needed help
Continuing on their archaeology journey, the girls' next mission was to figure out what tools were used for what purposes by early humans. Again, the girls were given hints when they needed them. Three-year-old Anne even worked on this challenge and answered a few of the questions correctly.
The girls then moved from being archaeologists to being forensic scientists. A microscope hooked up to a screen allowed them to analyze each other's fingerprints. This was one of their favorite activities.
One of my favorite activities came next. We were asked to trace and identify a mysterious illness. First we had to identify "Patient 0," i.e. the first person who became ill. Next we had to determine how the illness spread and its incubation period. Finally, we had to use all the clues we had gathered to determine what the illness was. It was challenging to Meg and Clare, but within both of their abilities. You could almost see those little brains working and becoming more scientifically fine-tuned.
The Q?rius room is very well-staffed and the staff is well-trained. There was a person at each station, and the staff member's goal was to guide the girls in finding the right answers, not merely give them the answer (even when the kids were younger than the intended age of the challenge). I believe we only scratched the surface of this amazing learning center. As the girls get older, there will be so many more challenges for them.
RSS Feed
