Clark Planetarium and Giveaway

While we were visiting the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum, we also stopped by the Clark Planetarium. Admission to the Planetarium itself, is free for all ages. The Planetarium includes 19 interactive exhibits and depending on how curious your children are you can probably get through them in 45 minutes to an hour. The exhibits include playing with prisms and light, learning about the solar system, how much you would weigh on another planet, telescopes, meteorites, pendulums and powering light bulbs. If you're in the area it's definitely worth a stop.

Thing 2 exploring Mars

 Inside the planetarium is an IMAX theater where you can see current Hollywood films, cosmic light shows or documentaries. The schedule and pricing can be found here. Now for the giveaway: I am giving away a voucher for 4 tickets to the Clark Planetarium Theater plus a voucher for 2 medium popcorns. ($43 value) The voucher is good for any documentary in the IMAX theater and expires on November 30, 2011. It would make for a fun afternoon activity with the family.
How to enter:
1. Follow me through Google Friend Connect and post a comment on this post. (Required)
Extras:
2. Follow me on twitter and leave a comment below. (If you already follow me, just leave a comment)
3. Tweet about this giveaway including the link to this post and leave a comment with a link saying you did so.

The giveaway runs through July 31, 2011 at 2359 MST. The winner will be selected through Random.org and the winner will be announced August 1, 2011 and must respond within 48 hours. I realize this is prize that is of more value to those who live in or near Utah. If you are selected you have to promise that you will actually use the vouchers before they expire. Good luck!

Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

 Last week we were in northern Utah with our kids and thought we try out the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum. This children's museum is located in the Gateway Mall. Hours are from 10 am- 6 pm Monday-Thursday and 10 am- 8 pm Friday- Saturday. Admission is $8.50 for adults and children over age 1. Discounts for groups available. Parking rates vary, but you can get validated parking vouchers at the museum or stores throughout the mall. (With lunch and everything we were at the mall for four hours and ended up paying $2 for parking. Heaven compared to parking at the museums in Chicago.) The only coupon I could find was a 2 for 1 in the Salt Lake City, Utah Entertainment book. (You can get 17.5% back when you purchase Entertainment books through Ebates.) Occasionally there are free admission deals available, but I couldn't find any that haven't expired.
 My kids loved this place, but I was a little disappointed. I thought 'Wow 4 floors of children's activities!' But there isn't anything on the first floor and the fourth floor is just administrative offices, so it's really only 2 floors. Here are the basic features of this children's museum: a large ball and tube area, a construction block area, a farm, grocery store, a Lifeflight helicopter  complete with buttons and sound effects (I have to say that I thought that was pretty awesome), animation center, a digital media center, a large room that was full of different kinds of blocks and small building materials.  There was another temporary exhibit called "Play". There was one part of it that my husband and I couldn't figure out at all (was it broken?), and I thought that the explanations were way too preachy for the age group that they were supposed to be geared to. I did notice and appreciate that everything was very clean and there was hand sanitizer conveniently located throughout the museum. This is a big bonus for me. I realize that keeping things acceptably clean when you have activities that are geared towards little hands is no small feat, and I have been to museums who don't do as good of a job.

Sitting in the Lifeflight helicopter

If we were in the area again and had coupons, I may go again, but I don't think that it's worth paying full price for children and adults.

Family Fun in Las Vegas Part 3: Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium

 I love aquariums. I find them fascinating and relaxing. So of course we had to stop at the one in Las Vegas. The Shark Reef Aquarium is located inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The hours are 10:00AM - 8:00PM Sunday through Thursday and 10:00AM - 10:00PM Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children over 4. (4 and under are free, and prices are reduced for Nevada residents.) I tried to find some current coupons or codes to this place without success. (If I find any I will let you know.) When we were there a few months ago there was a deal where you get tickets for 3 Vegas attractions at a discount, but we didn't have the time to see more than this.

The aquarium has some great tunnels that when you can see the sea life to both sides and above you.

My kids enjoyed touching the rays. (And no Thing 2 is not falling in, Grandpa was trying to hold him out closer so he can reach.)

My kids favorite part were the windows in the floor so they could see the sharks swim underneath them.

If you can, sure to stop by around 3pm, because that's when they fish are fed.

 My favorite part was the jellyfish. Jellyfish are pretty weird. 

 They also have a golden crocodile there, which I had never seen before.

Family Fun in Vegas Part 2: The Lied Discovery Children's Museum

Across the street from The Las Vegas Museum of Natural History is The Lied Discovery Children's Museum. (It's located in the same building as the public library.) Admission is $7.50 for children and $8.50 for adults. There is a coupon for $2 per person (up to 4) in the Las Vegas Entertainment Book. Current hours are 9 am to 4 pm, Tue- Fri & 10 am to 5 pm on Sat.
  One thing that I love about children's museums is that each one is different. We really enjoyed this one, it is possibly my favorite thus far. On the first floor there were a lot of things to do that were mostly play oriented and the second floor had many exhibits that were science oriented. While we were there my daughter sat through a chemistry presentation and loved it. A few of the exhibits were similar to those we saw at The Museum of Science and Industry, but it was far less crowded giving my kids a chance to actually see, try and learn. They also had several science exhibits that we hadn't see yet. There are many things to do on a variety of levels.  It's smaller than the Nebraska Children's museums that we visited this summer, but it was more science focused and most importantly less than a days drive. It is totally worth a stop if you are in Vegas with family. I highly recommend this place for children anywhere from toddler to teenager. It's a great place to encourage learning. We had a hard time dragging our kids out of there.

 

 My husband making a giant bubble for my daughter. Behind him, is a mom and daughter behind a bubble screen.

Another bubble screen which they really had a great time with.

My son spent more than an hour playing with this "ball popper".

Experiencing a hurricane.

I snagged this picture from their website, but I had to include it because the laser harp was just so awesome!

Other tips for your visit: Bring snacks/lunch as the food options are limited in the museum and we weren't impressed with the options within a few blocks of it either.d hand sanitizer because it is a 'hands-on discovery place'. It's less crowded in the morning, but even in the afternoon it wasn't too bad.

Family Fun in Vegas Part 1: The Las Vegas Museum of Natural History

Last weekend we took the kids to Vegas. Our first stop was the Las Vegas Museum of Natural History. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students $5 for children 3-11. Hours are from 9 am to 4pm. There is a BOGO coupon in the Las Vegas Entertainment Book, or you can print one here. Bank of America cardholders can get free admission on the first full weekend of the month.
Yes, it is not as spectacular as the Field Museum in Chicago, but it has several points on the Field for me: 1.It does not take 3 days to drive there 2.There are no tollways between home and the destination. 3. Parking is free (not $19). 4. I can get my entire family in for the less than the cost of one admission to the Field. 5. Even on a Saturday afternoon, the LVMNH was not crowded. I love this! We can take as much or as little time as my kids please, learning about science and natural history.

The first room (not listed on their website) has a few prehistoric oddities. My son (2) thought it was awesome. My daughter (4) found it to be a little scary.

Spiral tooth prehistoric shark

My daughter was certain that if this thing were alive it would eat her, and it just might have.

Next is the Marine Life Gallery. In addition to few interactive science displays there are several live fish, sharks and rays.

I will always check out anything remotely resembling an aquarium.

Frogfish, Do you see it?

My kids liked the Wildlife Gallery. It's full of animals that are native to the area and facts about how they live. And they were surprisingly fascinated by the Geology Gallery (but then they did have glow-in-the-dark rocks). There is also an Egyptian Gallery, with a replica of the tomb of Tutankamen. My daughter found it kind of creepy, but then I always found Ancient Egypt to be somewhat creepy (yet still fascinating) too. (FYI, in Ancient Egypt children didn't wear clothing until the age of 6. My kids would be all for that.)

Learning to grind wheat in Egypt

 Now for the main attraction...The Dinosaurs. And not just any dinosaurs, but dinosaurs that roar and move.

And behind the Prehistoric Life Gallery is the Young Scientist Center. It has several activities and games and on Saturday afternoons they pull out the animals and let the kids touch them.

Chicago- Part 2: The Field Museum of Natural History

The Field Museum of Natural History

The Field Museum was our second stop on our trip to Chicago was the Field Museum. I didn't plan on spending as much time there because a family member who had been there told me that they didn't think my children would like it. That was a mistake. They loved it and we stayed until it closed. (Hours are 9-5) As mentioned previously, you can get a good deal on tickets through the Chicago CityPass. The Field Museum offers 52 Free Days here. Admission at the door for non-residents is $29 for adults and $20 for children. Adult tickets bought online ahead of time are $22 each. You can find a BOGO in the Chicago South Entertainment Book. Parking is between $16-19. If you park at Soldier Field you can pay with credit card and it is $16 for the first four hours, and $19 if you park for longer than that. If you park in the Adler lot, it is $16 cash for all day. Also, make sure that you never go on a day that the Chicago Bears are playing at Soldier Field, because there is no parking anywhere.

 The first thing that you see after the ticket entrance is Sue. Sue is the largest complete Tyrannosaurus Rex in the world. Sue is on the main floor, while the rest of the large prehistoric exhibit is on the second floor. My kids loved this part, loved the videos and would have spent many more hours there if we let them.

Another area that my kids loved was the Nature Walk. For those you from the Provo, UT area, it reminds me of the Bean Museum, except many of the animals are in dioramas and for every case there is a list of things to find. (butterflies, lizards, etc.) My four-year old loved this and if we weren't trying to get through as much as possible, we could have spent a lot more time there. They have numerous other animal exhibits that my kids loved. Her favorite exhibit was "What is an animal?" She loved learning about long tongues that can grab things and different parts that animals have adapted for survival.
 Then my kids tolerated a quick trip through "Inside Ancient Egypt". I wish I had more time to spend there. Some of the other great exhibits they have include Underground Adventure, Hall of Gems, Moving Earth and many cultural exhibits. My family and I loved this place and really, really wished we had more time there. If you have the chance I highly recommend that you take your family.
 A few more hints: tours are offered daily, and the staff can give you great stories and insight. Also if you're going to grab food at the museum, make sure you do it before 11 am or after 1:30 pm to avoid the crowds.

Chicago- Part 1: The Museum of Science and Industry

Between my brother's wedding and reception, we had a couple of days to kill, so we drove north a few hours to Chicago. I had heard great things about the Museum of Science and Industry, so we decided to check it out. I had a BOGO coupon from the Chicago Entertainment Book, but we found it to be more cost effective to buy citypasses. Who knows when or if we'd be back there? The CityPass seemed like a great way to get the most of our Chicago experience. An adult Chicago CityPass is $69, children 3-11 are $59.  Under 3 are free. The CityPass is a convenient little booklet of tickets that you pick up at your first attraction with your voucher that you print upon payment. It also includes other bonuses like admissions to shows at the attractions, but most importantly it saved us HOURS of waiting in line. It includes admission to the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Industry and the Skydeck Chicago or the John Hancock Observatory. (When I saw the line at the Aquarium, I was ready to turn around and give up. It really looked like we would be there for at least three hours, fortunately I spotted the CityPass line, which took about 15 minutes.) The CityPass is good for 9 days, starting the day that you visit the first attraction.

Museum of Science and Industry

If you buy tickets online they are $15 for adults and $10 for kids. If you buy at the door, it's $23 for adults and $16 for kids. Parking is $16. As I mentioned above there's a 2 for 1 in the Entertainment Book. Also here's a link to another 2 for 1 coupon. Here's another 2 for 1, but it can only be used with an American Express. Free days for the museum can be found here. Hours are from 9:30-5:30.
This place came highly recommended, and I will not deny that it is amazing. However, we would have enjoyed it more without our children, or if they were a bit older. (My kids are 4&2.) It is geared more towards school-age children and up.  Without small children I would recommend planning on staying for most of the day. For small kids 4 hours was more than enough. It was very crowded and my kids were easily shoved away from the interactive exhibits that they were interested in. (I hate reprimanding other people's children, but it had to be done a few times.)  Also while we were there, several of the interactive exhibits were broken. My husband and I wished that our kids had the patience for us to read more about the exhibits. Mondays are the least crowded day at the Museum of S&I, if you have the luxury of picking that day. It has three large floors full of science exhibits that explain things like weather, physics, how the body works and technology. Even though it was crowded and we didn't get to see some of the things we wanted, I still felt like it was worth it and highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Chicago area. It's a fantastic way to teach your kids about science and technology. Cool things to check out there that we didn't have time for (meaning our children had lost patience): The Coal Mine Exhibit (the wait was an hour and a half) and Imax theaters.

This pic is great, but it doesn't do that place justice. Also when I was there I would say there was at least a thousand more people in the room.

This room was my kids favorite (also not a shot that I took.)

 If you have little girls, you absolutely must stop by Colleen Moore's fairy castle with all of its detailed miniatures in a back corner of the ground floor. The detail is pretty amazing.

Another tip, if you want to see the baby chicks hatch, the best time to see them is during the afternoon.