It’s probably been going on for some time, but I’ve only just recently noticed that in the last few years most major cities have opened up very hands science museums geared to kids of all ages. I spent a number of years as a teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, where there is an excellent model.
Every year we paid a visit with our classes as I recall. It’s an excellent facility that has brought in some really big time exhibits including the T-Rex Sue. (In fact as a side note, while researching for this piece I learned that the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition is visiting the Science Museum of Minnesota, from March through October.
It has been touring the country and I have looked high and low for a schedule of the tour, hoping it will come to Texas, but as yet I have been unable to find one. If any readers know whether or not this exhibition will be visiting the Lone Star State Please leave a comment on this site. I would love to take some Tyler TX history students. But I greatly digress… Sorry).
Tyler is a growing city that is always on the look- out for opportunities to emulate her larger sisters and this, is no exception. The Discovery Science Place (DSP) is Tyler’s version of the hands- on child friendly educational experience offered by institutions like the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.
Now admittedly the DSP is not nearly the size of the Dallas version, but if it continues to grow with the City of Tyler, perhaps it will one day rival the bigger institutions. Their exhibits include: Watts of Fun, Little Ones Lagoon, the Shadow Wall and a number of others. Hands on exhibits include: thumbprint pictures, and mighty magnets. At this point it is definitely geared to younger children, but that should change some as they expand. Admission is six dollars per person with free admittance for visitors two and under.
Another opportunity offered by the Discovery Science Place is the Passport to Summer Discovery Camp. It runs from June seventh through August thirteenth, and is essentially a Vacation Science School for kids from four to twelve. The camp seems like an excellent opportunity. It runs in week- long sessions lasting either a half day or full day and cost seventy five, or one hundred fifty dollars respectively.
For more information on the Discovery Science place in Tyler visit their website at www.discoveryscienceplace.org. To plan a visit to the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, go to www.natureandscience.org. The Fort Worth version also appears worthy of investigation. Their website is www.fwmuseum.org. Lastly, for those headed toward the coast this summer, I should mention that there is also a science museum in Houston simply called the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It looks terrific! Their website is www.hmns.org.