Week 2: Family Night at The Science Center of Iowa
This weekend we went to Family Night at the Science Center. Anyone who knows us knows this place is like a second home to us. The boys absolutely adore the Science Center. Sam attended many years of Pint-Size Science. Ben has been to their camps and bonded with some of their in-house scientists over his theories and questions. My favorite spots are What on Earth? visiting the reptiles, a stop off to Peggy Whitson’s display, and of course the Star Theater where we frequently snuggle on the floor, learn something new, and watch the stars fly by. Jeff likes building and shooting off rockets. Sam is a lover of the ball wall (in fact he was featured in last year’s Catch Des Moines Visitors’ Guide in front of it.) Ben could jump from thing to thing and be happy, but right now he is enamored with the new Brick by Brick Lego displays. We could probably give very informed tours of the place in our sleep. So, when we realized it was Family Night – when the Science Center stays open late and has special programming – we were happy to head down there. The boys were thrilled. Since we are regulars, I now have a certain level of comfort there, which brings a little more confidence. This month, I forgot to check my schedule ahead of time. The members’ workshop was owl pellets and I had it marked down months in advance. These always fill up quickly. I forgot. Typically, I would have been quite dramatic about this and let it ruin my night. I would have moped and beat myself up for forgetting. Due to our familiarity with this place, I walked in at the allotted time and asked the people running the workshop if everyone showed up. Yes, they had, however they also had ordered 40 extra owl pellets! If we were willing to wait, we could probably step in to the class. So, wait we did, and as you can guess, we were able to attend. It was one of the best workshops we’ve been to there and our whole family was very engaged in learning owl calls, anatomy, and picking through their “castings” to discover two rodent skeletons. Sam was very focused and careful (he is typically our high energy, daredevil) and Ben enjoyed identifying the skeleton parts. So this week’s adventure included a fun and educational evening spent at one of our favorite places in our city. It also involved stepping out of my comfort zone a little to ensure our family could be included, as well as making a conscious choice to not let my disappointment ruin our night. We encourage all of you this week to speak up and step up, if there’s something you are after, just asking can sometimes open so many doors of opportunity.
Here are some of our favorite things to do at the Science Center:
- Pint Size Science – Ages 3-5 – they always have great and entertaining instructors who really care about the kids. Each month, there is a themed class with a story, lesson, and hands-on activities. I think my favorites were the ones in which we took over the Star Theater for a camping theme and another with a flight to the moon (we even built rocket ships to sit in!)
- Family Night – the second Friday of each month the Science Center is open late for families. If you are a member, workshops are available (we’ve dissected frogs, built sound and light emitting machines, and tested PH levels in foods.) If you are not a member, admission is only $5, Imax is $5, and there are $5 deals in the Food Chain Café. They often have special programming around the Science Center as well.
- Mixology Night – adults only, the first Friday of each month the Science Center has themed programming with a band and adult beverages. It is really fun to interact with the displays sans kids (I get a turn?) and other adults. We frequently attend this. Some of our favorites were Mess Fest – where we walked in pools of oobleck, threw darts at paint-filled balloons to make a collaborative art piece, and shot little poms back and forth with random strangers. We also really enjoyed the night they opened a whole room for lasertag.
- Yoga – we have not attended Yoga Under the Stars yet. The boys aren’t old enough, but we did participate in Downward Facing Dinos. We love getting to see the Science Center outside of regular hours. We also love to do yoga as a family, so win-win!
- Mini Maker Faire – this occurs Labor Day weekend. We attended for the first time this year and were blown away! There were so many different types of Makers in attendance. Ben really enjoyed the medieval demonstrations of making copper utensils, weaving, building armor, and stamping fabric. Our whole family also really liked watching the FIRST robotics clubs, light and noise emitting sensors which showed the changes in plants when we interacted with them, the artists and of course the life size R2D2. Sam was very proud of the pouch he sewed on a sewing machine. We could see their minds working on their own Making projects to come.
- Pi Day – on March 14th each year, the Science Center has pi and pie themed programming including piesplosions, throwing pies with a trebuchet, and creating a diversity of methods to display pi.
- Noon Year’s Eve – every year on December 31st, the Science Center has fun things to do all morning leading up to a giant balloon drop at noon. There is so much excitement in the room around the countdown, we sit, have snacks, talk to our neighbors, and wait for the magical moment when thousands of balloons drop down, celebrating the start of a new year. I have observed every year and it always amazes me how everyone passes the balloons to those who didn’t make it directly under the drop. It is such a moving moment to experience and tradition in our family.
- Some things we would like to attend, but haven’t yet:
- Star Parties – a bunch of people go to a set location and learn about what is happening in the sky on that night and get a chance to view the stars.
- Overnight Adventures or Almost Overnights – You can spend the night at the Science Center!!
- Family STEM Institute – I am REALLY looking forward to these. I dearly miss Pint Size Science and I believe this is the next step for Sam and I. For parents and their children ages 0-8, there are events happening in December, February, and April
- Café Scientifique – the second Tuesday of each month 6:00-7:30 pm. They pick a topic, give background information, and have an expert talk about it. After there is a question and answer time. Drinks and snacks are also available. I am thinking of taking Ben to some of these, or attending with Jeff or another adult. So many possibilities!
- Other Special Events – Spooky Science was a really fun event last year and worth repeating. We would also like to attend some of the other special programming they have throughout the year (Earth Day looks like a great one!) We recommend checking the website: sciowa.org if you’re looking for something to do.
