Museum of Science

W & C pose in front of a stuffed bear in the New England animals exhibit

Over the weekend we met up with some friends at the Museum of Science in Boston. Actually in Boston & Cambridge as we found out. They have a little border within the hallway of the museum so you can be in both cities at once. I am a dork and love those sorts of land markers.


We had last taken W there when he was 3, so he did not remember any of it so it was all new to him. Jacob and I have fun memories there from our college days so I was reminiscing a bit (the MOS offers a free night for students in the fall). Back to the current century... :) The boys enjoyed exploring many exhibits and were delighted by the two dinosaur areas; one is a traveling exhibit called Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries and it was very impressive. If you're able to get there before August 21st check it out. Alas, there were no photos allowed in that section but it well worth seeing, and it was organized by the American Museum of Natural History which we talked about in our New York post last year.

little space explorer!

W and C loved exploring the model of the Apollo command module.

We took in a show at the Planetarium at the end of the day; Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond our Sun. This was a recent movie produced by the Museum and has up to date facts. It was a fascinating show mainly focused on discovering exoplanets, planets outside of our solar system. It is amazing to think of how much more there is to discover, and how much we will learn within our lifetimes. The MOS web site offers a monthly star chart to view/download. There is even an educator's guide (pdf) on the website to accompany the program we watched. This is targeted at older kids but I will modify an activity for W's level this week as a follow up to our museum trip, along with a review of our own solar system. The boys enjoy looking at stars on some clear evenings and can pick out the big dipper, and now with his glasses it is easier for W to spot shooting stars. 


Now is the time for me to start planning some more science activities for first grade as it's coming up fast now. Most of our "summer science" has been gardening and observing nature. In the fall we will continue to use the Giant Science Resource book, Let's Read and Learn Science books from home & the library, and multiple experiment books along with supplemental materials.