Let’s start this post with an exciting announcement: Oklahoma was my 50th state! Woo hoo! I did it! (My husband hit 50 last year and the kids are at 49.) Naturally, Oklahoma will always hold a special place in my heart, but even without the distinction of being my last state, I have to say that Oklahoma City was a pleasant surprise because it was more interesting than I expected. I would very much like to return there again sometime. One of the attractions we decided to visit was Science Museum Oklahoma. When we arrived, we made a beeline for the exhibit that was at the top of our priority list: the Segway Course.
None of us had ever ridden a Segway, so we were very excited to try one. There’s a Segway sightseeing tour in our city, but you have to be 16 or older, so we loved that kids could ride them at Science Museum Oklahoma. There were actually two courses: a beginner’s course and an expert course. Kids had to earn a driver’s license in order to have the privilege of driving the expert course. Not to worry, though, it isn’t hard to earn the driver’s license–you just have to drive the beginner’s course three times without being reckless. Please note that you have to go to the back of the line each time, so it might take some time to earn the license before you can drive the more difficult course.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Segway course because we knew that it was a rare opportunity. Eventually, we made our way to other parts of the museum, but we didn’t have time to see everything. There were several interactive exhibits where you can learn about physics concepts.
The Geometry Playground was fun and interesting. There were fun things to play with, both large and small. Check out The Gyroid.
On the small side, there were geometric blocks to fit together.
Look here:
Now look at it from a different angle.
If you like that, then you must check out Mind Games, which has a bunch of optical illusions.
Here’s a close-up of one. Do the lines look straight or curvy to you?
How many faces are on this circle?
And speaking of people, do you see any here?
We always have fun with tests for color blindness in our family because my son is color deficient. He can’t see the numbers in this photo.
We also had fun in the Power Play! section. It’s a great spot to burn off some energy if your kids can handle a little competition with each other.
Another fun play area is Gadget Trees, with a 2-story tree house and the nation’s tallest spiral slide.
As I said earlier, we didn’t have time to see the entire museum. Science Museum Oklahoma has a planetarium, theater, and science shows. plus several more exhibit areas that we missed. Have you been there? What’s your favorite part? I do have to say that we loved this museum. It had some unique exhibits (like the Segway course!) that we haven’t seen in other science museums.
Ready to visit?
Science Museum Oklahoma
2100 NE 52nd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
We received complimentary admission to the museum with the ASTC Passport Program because we are members of our local museum. Thanks to the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau for coordinating our trip.
