One of my favorite memories from elementary school field trips, were our adventures at the Francis Malcolm Science Center. It has an attached planetarium, which for the small, rural community I grew up in, was a pretty amazing thing.
So when the science center had a recent open house, I was excited to take Bubbles. She loves anything to do with science/space/nature so I knew she’d love it. And it gave me the opportunity to show her where my own interests in space and science had been fostered.
The very first thing we did was to get our tickets for the planetarium show. They had upgraded to a digital projection machine, but had left the original projector as a piece of nostalgia. While we waited for the dome show to start, I explained to Bubbles how the types of shows the old projector had displayed.
After watching what Bubbles calls her “first movie on the ceiling” (all about colors and light), we moved on to some of the hands-on stations. We learned how to use a battery to pick up paper clips, how works, made paper airplanes, and planted seeds to bring home.
We then enjoyed a hot dog cookout while the staff and volunteers set up for rocket launches. By this time, the crowd was starting to pick up, with many people arriving saying they try to never miss the rockets.
They launched two different ones of varying power. It was fun to have Bubbles make predictions on where the rockets might land based on the wind and angle they were placed. Our guesses weren’t quite as accurate as the group shooting them off, as they had a recovery team waiting for them in the right spot both times!
Bubbles deemed the day one of the “best ever”, so we’re very much looking forward to our next science center adventure. In the meantime, I have lots of science-themed projects for us to do this summer while she’s on vacation that I’ll share with you all.
Do you have a hidden gem like our Francis Malcolm Science Center? Tell me about it below!
About Liza
Liza is a mom (5-year-old daughter, 20-year-old stepson, and 24-year-old stepdaughter) and wife living in Louisville. She loves spending time with her family, visiting the local zoo and parks, as well as planning travel adventures. Cooking and baking, DIY projects and crafts, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee - round out some of her other hobbies.