Friday, June 22, 2012

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry

We spent an entire day at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.  It was probably our favorite museum in Chicago.

We used our COSI membership to get in, and then we added tickets to some special exhibits, including the Mythbusters exhibit (which is actually coming to COSI next year) and the coal mine. 

Everything at this museum was huge, and the exhibits all seemed new, or at least like they had been updated recently.  In one of our favorite areas, the Science of Storms, all the exhibits were accompanied by large touch-screen applications that illustrated how they worked.  This was great for Lex, who thrives on touch screen computer apps.  (He is still learning how to use the mouse and cursor.)

 Connor got to be a volunteer during the tornado show

 Biggest (and loudest) tesla coil ever

 Avalanche disk.  I could watch this thing for hours.

The coal mine tour was awesome.  We started by taking a long coal mine elevator ride down into the mine, and then while we were down there, we got to ride on a train through the mine and see all sorts of machines in action.  They were really loud, even though they weren't actually mining coal.  It all seemed really real, and both the boys got a little spooked by the dark mine. 

We were informed that it would probably take us about 45 minutes to get through the Mythbusters area, but Connor and Kevin really got involved with all the exhibits, and it actually took us much longer.  I think Connor spent 45 minutes at the exhibit about the Big Bad Wolf alone.

 This is the brick house that Connor finally built that stood up to the wind tunnel.

While they did that, Lex ran through the "Will You Get Wetter Running or Walking in the Rain" exhibit 972 times.  He ran each time, and I never talked him into walking.


The "rain" had dye in it that you could see in a black light.  When Lex saw himself in the mirror, he cried and cried  because he couldn't wipe it off.  So we had to leave and wash him up in the bathroom.


When we came back, Connor was still working on the Big Bad Wolf thing.  Seriously.


It took me a few tries, but I was able to pull the table cloth off the table without upsetting the dishes.  It was fun! 

The biology section had some really interesting exhibits, too.  Kevin and Connor did some game using their brain waves.  Kevin won.  His ball scored a goal first.


There was also a giant hamster wheel that we could run in.  That was fun, too.

There were a good half-dozen more special exhibits that we didn't see, as well as a ton more shows.  We could honestly go back, and probably spend another whole day there, without seeing any of the same things.  That place was huge, and packed with so many interesting things!

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