Welcome to 30 Days of Summer – Go-To Guide for Moms!
Day Ten
Some places that often get overlooked during summer vacation planning are museums. We tend to look towards outdoor entertainment, but really – when things get hot outside, it is nice to be inside some cool air conditioning!
Now, before you think that a museum will be too boring for your kids, think again. There are some really cool museums and science centers available for kids to visit. In our local area alone, we have two different flight museums, arts museums galore, science museums and more.
Natural History Museum
Kids love dinosaurs. This is a well-known fact. The immense size alone can tip a tot over as they look up higher and higher. If you want to have some family fun time, take a trip to a museum of natural history.
Here, your kids can learn about dinosaurs and reptiles, early man and cave dwellers, look at clothing worn thousands of years ago, and actually touch the bones of a brontosaurus.
Most of the museums today offer instructional CDs which you and your family can listen to as you walk through the ancient halls of life. Yes, your kids can read a book about early man and all of the odd-looking creatures that roamed the earth, but there is nothing like seeing these things and having the opportunity to touch them as well.
From one giant hall to the next, you all will be able to see how the dinosaurs bones were put together to form the exact image of how they looked thousands of years ago. A great learning experience, even for very small kids.
Flight Museum
Hopefully in your local area you will find some type of flight museum. We are fortunate to live in Boeing country, so we have several to choose from. Honestly, if you don’t have a museum, but have one in your family interested in airplanes, go to a local small country runway and see if you can view some airplanes in the hangars and watch small planes take off and land. Picking up a book from your library on different airplane types will create even more enthusiasm too!
Art Museum
Even if your kids baulk at the idea of going to an art museum – try to create interest by looking online at certain artists that you will find with exhibits. Let your child take photos during the to look back at later and perhaps learn more about certain artists. Who knows, you might just have a budding artist in your family!
Children’s Museum
Nearly every city has a children’s museum – displaying all kinds of fun stuff for kids to explore and touch. You can find one locally at this site! More and more families visit children’s museums each year for unique, face-to-face fun, enlightenment and shared experiences not found in traditional museums or other popular destinations. Certainly a great way to spend an afternoon. My preschooler just came back from a fantastic field trip to our local children’s museum and I am sure he would love to go back!
Overnight stays
Some museums offer families the chance to stay overnight at the museum. Check into this by looking online or calling ahead. What a fabulous experience to have and a great memory!
Take your kids to the museum and let them experience every facet of what is offered there. Make sure you look for discounts on tickets and even those annual passes. You might be surprised to find that several museums work together to offer an annual pass – this could save you a lot of money and provide many hours of entertainment.
Does your family have a favorite museum?
