Kidspace Children's Museum
On one of LA's rare cool and slightly gloomy days, I packed up the boys and headed to Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena, CA. We were on assignment to explore, have fun, interview the CEO and document our experience.
I remember thinking, the boys are going to have a great time, but how am I going to keep them occupied and on their best behavior, while I interview Michael Shanklin, CEO of Kidspace Children's Museum?
How? I'll tell you how... Mr. Michael Shanklin, who is the very busy CEO of one of the best children's museums in the LA area, took hours out of his day, to play, explore, and give us a tour of Kidspace Children's Museum.
My boys and I walked away from this experience with the highest regard for Kidspace Museum, and Michael, who wholeheartedly loves the museum, the kids and families that it serves, and what he does.
As we toured the museum, I was in awe of all of the various types of "play" the museum has to offer. We could, quite literally, spend all day in just one of the areas on this enormous campus. Of course, the best part is, the kids don't even realize that they are not just playing, but learning.
"The mission of Kidspace Children's Museum is to nurture the potential of all children through kid-driven experiences, inspiring them to become joyful, active learners."
One of the very first things we did when we got to the museum, was play Tug of War with Mr. Shanklin and a group of pre-school kids who were there on a field trip. This Giant Lever is located in the Galvin Physics Forest, an outdoor area of the museum where, through play, kids learn about the laws of physics.
Both, Princeton and Skyler, loved playing with this Wheel Roll, racing their wheels down a slope, while learning all about kinetic energy.
They also spent a lot of time building, one of their favorite activities.
And while building was fun, Princeton's absolute favorite part of Kidspace Children's Museum was all of the climbing he got to do, while Skyler and I enjoyed less strenuous activities, such as snacking.
While the Kidspace Greenhouse wasn't really Princeton's cup of tea, Skyler loved taking his time, to touch and look at all of the plants, as well as the painted stones that were made by a group of kids as a project in honor of Martine Luther King, Jr. on MLK Day.
The beauty of this children's museum is that there is something for every child to play with, learn and explore.
Something I truly appreciate as a parent of two kids with very different interests, the "something for every child" is usually near to each other. So, Princeton can climb and be physical, while Skyler is near by enjoying story time, and I can keep an eye on the both.
For me, this is huge! I get to keep both of my kids happy, without going crazy, running around from play area to play area, or forcing one to wait while the other finishes playing.
The playing and learning opportunities are plentiful, which makes both parents and kids extremely happy.
Kidspace Children's Museum is a magical place.
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For more information on Kidspace Children's Museum, head to http://www.kidspacemuseum.org
