The Houston Museum of Natural Science is one of the most visited museums in the United States and is a major science learning center for over half a million school children every year, including every fourth and seventh grade class in HISD. This certainly makes it a great educational place to take children, but with its 16 permanent exhibits with subjects varying from planets to gems and minerals to butterflies to wild animals, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is also fun!
On top of being stimulating and entertaining, it is also affordable. All 16 permanent exhibits are free on Thursdays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Providing handicapped access to all venues, the museum sells tickets at $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for children and seniors (62 +) for 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day. However, members have unlimited free admission to all permanent exhibits. Information on how to become a member and the various membership packages for families can be found on the website at http://www.hmns.org/support-hmns/become-a-member/ .
Some of the best exhibits to visit year round for children and family include:
The Cockrell Butterfly Center: Cheaper than other exhibits at $9.00 per adult and $8.00 per child, senior, and college student (must bring ID), the butterfly museum allows you to walk through the living butterfly habitat with your family, look at live and preserved specimens ranging from the classic monarch to more exotic species, and even get involved with interactive games and quizzes.
The Morian Hall of Paleontology: The dinosaur exhibit puts a twist on the traditional way of presenting dinosaur bones by staging the prehistoric beasts to make them come alive. Take your child on a “prehistoric safari” and journey through the story of evolution and the great dinosaurs.
Frensley/ Graham Hall of African Wildlife: Focusing on African wildlife ecology and preservation, the exhibit is full of educational and exciting experiences in its seven biomes that each focus on different themes like how different animals coexist, the food chain, and how important water is for animals to survive.
For the summer AND spring:
Block Party: Block Party is a hands-on experience available from now until August 7th 2016. Focusing on architecture, children of all ages learn what it means to build something up and tear it down as well by using interlocking bricks in an interactive play area. Encouraging children to use their imaginations and then allowing them to make a mess allows for great fun while also letting them learn about the very details of architecture like tension, compression, and torsion that keep our world together.
Summer Vacation:
Waterworks: For ages 6-7 at 10 am on June 6th, June 20th, or June 27th, children interact with water of all sorts in this fun adventure. Experience bubbles and waves and even whales while creating bubble art and interacting with a cool diver. Children can even design a boat and learn about how it floats!
Kitchen Chemistry: Available at 10 am on May 31st, June 6th, June 20th, and July 11th 2016th, children experiment with chemistry in a safe environment that lets them eat what they learn about! They learn about edible mold, the difference between safe plants and flowers that you can and can’t eat, and the different chemical reactions that happen every day when we cook. The kitchen fun doesn’t stop there; kids learn about food from different countries and even get inspired to grow their own food. There’s even an optional bug tasting portion! Not recommended for children with food allergies.
Bedazzled: For ages 8-9 at 10 am on July 11th or July 18th, children can combine learning and the fun of makeup, jewelry, and lotions to make for a unique chemistry experience. The lesson takes children back to how ancient Egyptians made and used makeup and ends with how chemistry is used to make makeup. Kids leave with their own makeup that they made themselves!
Medieval Madness: Children from ages 10-12 on July 11th or 18th learn about the Middle Ages in a fun way by making their own siege machine, shields, and chain mail. A history lesson about the Black Plague is included while children dip their own candles and even cook food from the “Dark Ages.”
