What a fun place! I am SO glad that we chose to make the stop on the way home to Cleveland from the Finger Lakes in New York! This place was fun for the kids and us as adults! The message from this place was clear… PLAYING is LEARNING. This is a beautiful message for all parents and children. If it’s fun, we learn more.
The highlight of this trip for the kids was taking a stroll down Sesame Street. Sesame Street is one of my all time favorite young child educational programs. Both of my children have learned so much from watching it – numbers, letters, emotional / social growth and also how fun it is to explore and learn. All important early attributes for confidence and success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects.
Another area that was really fun was Wegman’s grocery store. Each child gets to push a cart or carry a basket through a replica of Wegman’s grocery store and select a limited number of items for check out. They actually check out at the register (look at the receipt below!), then return the items to their respective locations.
The History Place was a fun place to explore. Kids can have pretend tea parties with teddy bears (make food in the old style kitchens), play in a historical looking school house and check out the type of transportation that students used to get to school ‘back in the day’.
Reading Adventureland is a giant play ground where you can step inside common childhood stories like Bernstein Bears, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff, many princess fairy tales, wizard stories, Dr. Suess stories, pirate stories, etc. The kids could explore the Bernstein Bears home town, create their own wizards wand and crown, become a giant and play in a pirates sandpit to name just a few. Books are scattered through out for reading if your child opts to read some of the stories. This area was also easily a favorite!
This museum is HUGE! If you plan to go, be sure to block off at least one whole day to be able to check out everything. We did not get the opportunity to see everything during our trip but we saw plenty to make us want to get in a return trip someday! Ohio (CLE especially – since we live so close…), check this place out!!!!
We loved the imagery and education provided in this film. Nature is very unexpected and often ‘spur of the moment’ so we were all completely blown away by the images that the creators caught on film. It left us wondering, how they were able to be at the right place at the right time for filming.
From the spotted salamanders emerging from their burrows in the spring and making their long dangerous journey to the streams, to the (literally) free-falling wood ducklings, this movie will leave you and your children well educated, excited and entertained. My four year old and her friend could not hide their excitement or laughter during many parts of this movie.
This movie is for ALL AGES. We all walked away with a new found appreciation for the wildlife that surrounds us. Your whole family will be more curious and observant of your own backyards, neighborhoods and surrounding park systems over the next four seasons.
Last week, I shared some of my top favorite STEM Education Museums and Centers across Ohio. Here’s what I shared on my Facebook and Instagram accounts in case you missed it!
National Museum of the United States Air Force: Located just outside of Dayton, Ohio.
The museum is located just outside Dayton, Ohio at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. This museum has the oldest and largest military aviation collections in the world. It’s pretty incredible. I personally loved being able to view the World War II collection to see the types of planes that my Grandfather flew in during the war. I also loved seeing some of the former Air Force One planes. Very unique and incredible collection. And it’s FREE admission!!!! Go check it out!
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal: Located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.
The museum is located in downtown Cincinnati and is a one stop for everything science, history and architecture. It just completed an entire remodel last Fall. This is truly one of my favorite buildings in Ohio.
Inside you will find the newly renovated and designed Museum of Natural History, the Cincinnati History Museum, the newly opened Neil Armstrong Space Exploration Gallery, the Omnimax theater and the Holocaust and Humanity Center and the local children’s museum, not to mention numerous special exhibits throughout the year.
The art deco design of the building itself is a wonder in itself that’s worth exploring. If you haven’t been there, it’s time to make a trip and check it out. While you’re in Cincinnati, taste some local favorites like Graeters ice cream located inside the museum! If you make it there during Christmas time, check out the incredible train display!
COSI: Located in Columbus, Ohio
The museum is located in Columbus, Ohio. It is likely if you’ve been to Columbus, you’ve been there too. It is very well known throughout the state.
They have wonderful science demonstrations and incredible changing exhibits that are mostly designed in house at the museum. We personally love the little kidspace (pictured). My kids have spent over two hours here. It’s a great one tank trip from Cleveland and Cincinnati. If you’ve been there, what are some of your favorite memories?
Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Located in Cleveland, Ohio
I love the Wildlife Center and Woods Garden at this museum. In this area, you can view 5 diverse ecosystems found in Ohio, along with the animals that are found there. Each animal was found as part of rescue and rehabilitation efforts and none of them are able to be released back into the wild so they call the museum habitats their home. Along the paths you’ll find surprising built in play areas for kids to explore.
We also love the Planetarium and Observatory. They offer wonderful and educational kids shows on space and the cosmos.
Inside the museum some of our favorites are the Earth quake demo and the gems collections as well as, Balto. If you haven’t been there, consider checking it out the next time you are in Cleveland.
The Great Lakes Science Center: Located in Cleveland, Ohio.
It’s one of my favorite Cleveland, Ohio museums and it is located right on Lake Erie.
They offer the BEST STEM Education programs and exhibits that I’ve found in this area. My space loving 4 year old loves the Nasa Glenn visitor center. We also love the entire second floor with tons of fun experiments for kids and adults alike, as well as the children’s area.
Their exhibits are top notch! We’ve seen Trains, Grossology and now Vroom! We walked away with a wealth of knowledge everytime.
We always find great quality experiments and learning opportunities like the one above that we saw recently to explain matter.
The Cleveland community is fortunate to have such a wonderful resource in this area. Check them out on your next trip to Cleveland. You won’t leave disappointed, but likely a bit more curious!
What are you waiting for? Go check them out! Where should I go next?
The Great Lakes Science Center did it again – they created another outstanding, fun and educational exhibit for kids and adults alike to explain how automobiles are designed, manufactured and serviced. VROOM! A Car Adventure is excellent!
The entrance to Vroom! At the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio.
Our Favorites:
As we entered the ginormous space, my kids first ran towards the tall multi-track called Physics Playground. Children (and adults – yes, of course I had to try it out too) can race cars down several tracks with loops, turns and jumps! It’s very exciting and fast paced fun and entertainment like I’ve never seen before.
The Physics Playground
The second place my kids explored and LOVED was the Automotive Care Center where they could work on ‘Mom and Dad’s Car’. My daughter was wearing a long dress, but that didn’t stop her from diving in to work on the tires, muffler or re-fill the fluids. My youngest explored the fun tire holes surrounding this exhibit.
Other fun areas included Tots Garage and the Aerodynamics wall. There are two areas for designing and racing your own vehicle – one designed for toddlers called Tots Garage and another area with wooden pieces and tires for bigger kids and adults. At the aerodynamics wall, my children could visually see how air flows around various shaped objects. My oldest found it interesting that vehicle designers evaluate the aerodynamics of vehicles for fuel efficiency (so they don’t need as much gas).
You can also test your skills and speed against an arm robot, named Lenny, which is a duplicate used in the automotive factories. My children laughed so hard at the celebratory dance after each time the robot won!
The area that I personally enjoyed the most was The Future of Car Tech section. This area had an example of airless tires and the LiDar sensor that is used to help self-driving cars navigate.
LiDar Sensor Technology screen inside the new exhibit.
My Thoughts:
This exhibit helps visualize many aspects of car design and servicing. We easily spent 3 hours exploring this space and we could have spent even more time. It is designed for all ages of children and adults. There is so much more to this exhibit that I didn’t add to this post.
We left the exhibit with plenty of knowledge on vehicle design, technology and functionality. I wished that there would have been more on vehicle manufacturing. There’s scores of science and engineering at vehicle manufacturing and assembly plants – i.e. the science behind paint color and appearance alone is a whole science in itself. However, this exhibit did not disappoint us at all and we will recommend it to everyone that we know!
The most impressive part for me about this exhibit was that it was built in house by the Great Lakes Science Center – it is truly one of a kind. We loved it.
Vroom over to the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio and go check it out for yourself!!!
DISCLAIMER: I am an Amazon Associate and may earn from qualifying purchases made from the links in this post at no additional cost to you.
Also, be sure to measure the size of your Easter basket and compare it to the items listed below to ensure proper fit. All items would fit in a large size Easter basket.
With Easter (and probably many birthday parties) quickly approaching, you might be left wondering, what to get for your kids. Here’s a list to help those looking for S.T.E.A.M. themed (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) gifts that could fit inside of an Easter basket.
Memberships to Local Museums, Centers and Parks: My kids love going to the local Zoo, Science Center, History Museum, MetroParks, Aquarium, etc. These would be perfect gifts to explore and appreciate S.T.E.A.M. Membership cards or registration forms fit perfectly inside an Easter basket.
Membership to Mail Delivery Activities or Magazines that specialize in STEAM:
We hold two memberships through Kiwi Co. They ship age appropriate hands on science and art projects each month. My girls love them! Click here to get 60% off your first crate!
(Disclaimer: I earn $10 off a future order for every Kiwi Co. crate ordered through my link above.)
(Disclaimer: I have not personally reviewed all of the subscriptions above but I have researched the reviews of others, so please be sure to complete your own research before purchase to ensure they are appropriate for your child. My children have personally enjoyed Highlights and National Geographic.)
My Recommended S.T.E.A.M. Toys: Check out my list below as well as my Complete List of STEM Buy for Kids Under 12 that I posted right before Christmas for additional ideas.
Bee-Bot (AA Battery Powered with Batteries Included) – Bee-Bot’s are robot’s designed to introduce the concepts of coding and problem solving to young children. Children use the arrows to code the robot to move and turn, then press GO and they watch it move. Children and adults can set up obstacle courses and allow kids to determine how to code the Bee-Bot. We do not have one of these at home, but we’ve played with them at our local science center and love them. A similar toy that we have at home is the Code-a-Pillar.
Awesome Science Experiments for Kids: 100+ Fun STEM / STEAM Projects and Why They Work – This book is filled with many easy to do home science experiments. We received this book as a gift for my daughter’s birthday and we’ve tried out many of the experiments. The experiments are easy to follow, use common household items and give great explanations to the science behind the experiment for kids and adults to understand easily.
Learning Resources LER2779 Jumbo Eyedroppers, Set of 6 with Stand – These eyedroppers are fun for use in the bath tub. We’ve also used them for our home science experiments. They are great for fine motor skill development and when pretending to be a scientist!
Play-Doh Party Bag Dough, 15 Count (Assorted Colors) – Play-Doh is a great tactile toy that allows for endless hours of exploration, design and creativity. I picked this party pack because the size of the play-doh containers are definitely small enough to fit into an Easter basket.
Summer Gardening Tools– What is better in Spring time than getting outside and working in the garden. My children LOVE working in our garden. They love digging for worms and planting seeds and plants. Gardening is an excellent way to teach your children and immerse them in nature.
An inside look of the front of the Cincinnati Museum Center.
When I walked inside the newly preserved Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC, previously Union Terminal), the dome inside literally took my breath away. I grew up in this city. I walked through these doors NUMOROUS times in my lifetime but I had never seen it look this beautiful.
After more than two years of the main building being closed to the public for historical restoration and preservation, it recently reopened (in November 2018) and I got my first glimpse inside over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Every city has at least one old building that serves some historical, architectural and engineering significance to its city. This building is one of those for Cincinnati. Union Terminal was built and dedicated in 1933. It was opened as a train station to unite all the railroads to one location in Cincinnati. It is still the largest half dome structure in the western hemisphere and if you walk inside, your breath will be taken away at its beauty. It has absolutely stunning art deco architectural design, which includes several original large glass tile mosaics by Winold Reiss (seen in the photos below), which were carefully and intricately cleaned to bring out the marvelous details in the pieces.
Mosaics across the dome on the inside of the museum.
Mosaics across the dome on the inside of the museum.
Checking out an old style 1930s telephone booth.
The amount of architecture and engineering used to build and restore this building over its 85 years is just phenomenal. Our family spent so much time just exploring and marveling at the building itself – its engineering design and layout as well as it’s art deco style.
It was almost demolished many times, in fact, (unfortunately) its concourse was demolished years ago.
Historical Restoration and Reopening
The restoration was a $225 million project that was primarily funded by local tax payers over the course of a 5 year levy and additional funding was provided by federal and state historical tax credits as well as a capital grant from the state of Ohio. It was completed on budget.
Personal Connection
Photo of my Grandfather from serving in WWII.
This particular building also has many personal connections to me and my family. My great grandfather worked on the railroads and took my grandmother to the station many times as a young girl. My grandfather walked through the doors as young teen to head off to fight in the Air Force in WWII and also returned to this station after the war. (I couldn’t help but imagine myself in his shoes as a young soldier walking through the doors to and from a war that is still marked as the biggest event in human history.)
One of my uncles helped preserve the beautiful glass tile mosaics that were moved from the demolished concourse to the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport. My parents came to the terminal for field trips as children when it was still a train station, converted to a science center, a shopping plaza and then took my brother and I to the Cincinnati Museum Center once it opened in the 1990s. I made many trips there as a child to view the exhibits and OMNIMAX films with my family and for school field trips. I also used to go downtown every year as a child to see the Duke Energy Holiday Train display which is now in the museum for Holiday Junction. This display has been part of Cincinnati since 1946!
This place holds a special place in my heart with countless happy memories from childhood and its historical connection to my family.
The Museum of Natural History and Science: Newly Opened Dinosaur Hall
The signs above the entrance to the Museum of Natural History and Science at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
The Museum of Natural History and Science reopened with a new Dinosaur Hall. It is located to the right of the main doors as you walk into the Museum Center. (It still has the original sign a top the doors indicating the location for incoming taxis and motor coaches!) As we walked through the doors, we were greeted by 6 ginormous dinosaur specimens!
Standing next to a dinosaur leg.
My three year old daughter was absolutely amazed by their size. She (and I) gained a better appreciation for paleontologists and the scientific work that they perform. We loved using the microscopes to look at some of the prehistoric pieces up close. The special effects inside the hall were so fun! It made it feel like we were truly walking among the dinosaurs in the museum!
Interactive globe
This exciting interactive globe allows guests to see how the Earth transformed from prehistoric ages until now! There is a tiny star on it that represents Cincinnati. Did you know that Cincinnati was located on a coast at one time?
Virtual reality experience
While we were there, I decided to test out the Jurassic Flight Virtual Reality Experience where I was transformed into a Pterodactyl and glided across prehistoric landscapes. It was SO much fun and a little ptero-ffying at times!! This part of the exhibit is an extra cost to visitors (it cost $6 for me as a non-member) and you must be at least 58 inches tall. It was worth it! Afterwards, I pointed out to my daughter that virtual reality systems are made by many different scientists!
The Cincinnati History Museum: Re-imagined Public Landing
The main entrance of the Cincinnati History Museum also still has the original Union Terminal signs on top the doors indicating the location for outgoing taxis and motor coaches!
Queen of the West boat we boarded.
The Cincinnati History Museum has reopened with one of it’s original exhibits – the reimagined Public Landing. Public Landing is a recreation of 1850s Cincinnati Public Landing. We walked along the city cobbled streets, visited several makeshift shops and storefronts including an old style photography studio where we were able to take a family photo.
1850 Cincinnati
We walked across the gang plank aboard the “Queen of the West”. Inside we learned about how steam boats pushed across the Ohio river, what it was like to be a guest on the boat and how the boat business affected the local Cincinnati economy at that time.
Holiday Junction
Lego Wonderland
Another exhibit, Holiday Junction, which is open for the holidays was a really fun place for the kids to go and explore.
We first walked through the new William L. Mallory, Sr. exhibition gallery which currently has a winter wonderland LEGO gallery on display. My three year old particularly loved the Disney themed LEGO displays and my one year old loved the LEGO train that ran through the middle of the exhibit hall.
My daughter almost quite literally walked through a winter wonderland, watched Thomas and friends train layout, built a snowman under the Northern Lights and rode a toddler sized train. To build the snowman, my girls were able to select various snowman pieces (eyes, various fruits / vegetables for noses, hats, scarf, mouth, coal buttons, etc.) and they magnetically connected them to the life sized snowman.
Below you will see the two snowmen they created… The first snowman they made was pretty fun and goofy. They loved sticking eyes all over the snowman to make him look silly and finished off his look with a banana on his head!!
We probably spent 20 minutes in this area alone because they were having so much fun! This really brought out their creative side and they had a small lesson in magnetism(which I plan to cover as a future topic)! The magnetic pieces only ‘stuck’ to certain areas of the snowman, so we had a great talk about why that was happening.
Next, we viewed the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. Upon entering, this space has a dramatic birds eye view of the entire space (which is ginormous!). My photo doesn’t even do it justice!
There are literally hundreds of trains flying around on tracks through a historic layout of Cincinnati. There are also trains in display cases along the walls for guests to view up close. This area was a dream for my three year old who is completely mesmerized by trains right now. She was so excited to name the parts of the trains that she recognized and loved telling us when one was zipping down the track nearby!
My daughters also loved being able to “make their own storybook”. Children are able to select magnetic words and photos and place them on a giant storybook to make their own story.
Again, this was wonderful for building creativity and learning a bit more about magnetism.
The Duke Energy Children’s Museum
By the time we reached the Children’s Museum, we were tired. Although we didn’t check out this space for long, we have spent hours here in past visits. It definitely receives my STEM stamp of approval and my kids thumbs up for fun!
Kids can learn about complex machines in Energy Zone, experiment with water, play pretend careers in several areas (veterinary, mechanic, etc.), climb and explore the wilderness, practice being a dentist and explore a giant set of teeth, etc. They also have a nature trading post where kids can bring in objects they’ve found outside and explain what they’ve learned about it for points. Those points can be used to select some type of scientific item for them to take home like a magnifying glass, rocks, etc.
Lunch at the Museum
We ate lunch at the museum and we were highly impressed by the cleanliness and the delicious, healthy and allergy friendly food options! If you are gluten free or have nut allergy, they definitely have you covered!
This was the lunch I shared with my husband – turkey avocado sandwich (optional gluten free bread) with tater tots! It was served on a real ceramic plate too. And my daughters had macaroni and cheese with goldfish crackers and applesauce.
The photo on the left is the dining room we ate in. It was so clean and well staffed. It had beautiful art deco design and murals on the walls. Very 1930s style for sure.
The museum is reimagining the exhibit spaces and experiences for guests and reopening the new permanent exhibits and galleries in phases. We viewed all of the new permanent exhibits and galleries that were available at the time of our visit.
We are greatly looking forward to the next phases opening up at the museum and can not wait to return!
Please follow the Cincinnati Museum Center@cincymuseumon social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to stay up-to-date on the latest news and permanent exhibits being opened to the public.
Additional Areas Explored
I posted additional photos from the museum that we checked out in the bottom of this post – the Rookwood Ice Cream Parlor, a Newsreel theater, more dining rooms, bulletin board, waiting area, STEM classrooms and more photos of the dome and outside. There is so much more to explore in this building than what we were able to see during our visit. We can’t wait to get back to explore more!
DISCLAIMER: I received 4 complimentary passes to the Cincinnati Museum Holiday Junction, Museum of Natural History and Science, the Cincinnati History Museum and the Duke Energy Children’s Museum on the day of our visit. I was asked to help promote the updates we enjoyed at the museum on my social media pages and my blog. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Many (if not all) scientific inventions, ideas and theories originate because scientists have observed the incredible way nature functions around us. This exhibit left me with a feeling of wonder and amazement and both girls came out excited and ready to continue exploring the museum.
When we walked in, there were four display cases that explained how nature works mechanically to push (i.e. snot pushes out dirt and germs from your body), distort (i.e. gravity distorts the discs in your spine but lie down and they expand), bend (collagen, cellulose and/or keratin in nature gives strength to hollow objects in nature like feathers) and press (i.e. coral can withstand pounding waves because it’s made of very hard calcium carbonate).
Near this area was a game called,“PUSH THEM TO THEIR LIMITS!”. My 3 year old loved this area! She could select two objects and then decide which one would win in compression, tension and bending tests. Then she was able to push a button to run the test and see how each object performed for each test. I personally loved this game too because it brought me back to my materials engineering roots.
Next we moved on to learn about the “circulatory” systems in various animals and also in trees. Did you know that trees use xylem in each ring of the tree to pump up nutrients to the rest of the tree? We were able to see through a microscope what the xylem looks like.
The highlight in this area for the kids was pumping “blood” from the heart of a giraffe all the way up it’s neck – it helped explain the concept of blood pressure and how hard a giraffes heart must pump in order to get blood all the way to it’s brain. I personally was shocked at how hard I had to pump the heart to get it to reach the top.
We learned about why the size of a deer ranges depending on the climate it lives in, we watched a video on how animals survive in the dessert, learned about ‘levers’ in the human body and how they function mechanically, I was able to test my own grip strength (no wonder I need my husband to open those jars for me… haha…), gain more insight into prosthetics (and robots) and we were able to become birds and flap our wings!
They also had a neat area that explained heat loss and insulation of the body and we were able to stand in front of an infrared camera to see how “hot” or “cold” we were. Check out this “HOT” couple! Haha!
There was SO MUCH to explore and learn in this exhibit! I know if I made another trip, I would find even more to learn and understand.
At times, it was a bit of a challenge to make it through the exhibit with two very young children – 1 and 3 years old – but we managed ok. I would recommend that if you have more than one young child, to be sure that you have another adult with you and try to choose times when the exhibit won’t be too busy. Sunday afternoon was perfect for us. The girls were so excited to play with the interactive pieces and they seemed perfectly spaced throughout.
This exhibit will be available at the Cleveland Natural History Museum until April 28, 2019! So you will have plenty of time to plan your trip. Admission to this exhibit is included with general admission and members get in FREE. There is so much more to explore in this museum!! Check out their admissions page on their website for more information on hours and pricing.
We have a membership to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and attended out of our own interest. This post was not a request from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and I received no compensation for this post.
When we walked in, there were four display cases that explained how nature works mechanically to push (i.e. snot pushes out dirt and germs from your body), distort (i.e. gravity distorts the discs in your spine but lie down and they expand), bend (collagen, cellulose and/or keratin in nature gives strength to hollow objects in nature like feathers) and press (i.e. coral can withstand pounding waves because it’s made of very hard calcium carbonate).
Next we moved on to learn about the “circulatory” systems in various animals and also in trees. Did you know that trees use xylem in each ring of the tree to pump up nutrients to the rest of the tree? We were able to see through a microscope what the xylem looks like.
