No, we did not book a party at the Ontario Science Centre. We did, however, spend a day there to celebrate DD# 2’s birthday. We started at about 10am, when the centre opened. We lined up to get tickets and went first to the “Space” exhibit. The girls marveled at the different displays. We then caught the Planetarium show--a first for the girls. I remembered my own first trip to the Planetarium...it was magical!
Only about 50 people can enter the room and folks can choose to sit on the bench or on one of the bean bags. We all had a fun time in there as the show simulated being on a rocket ship and exploring the galaxy. It gave the illusion of actually moving, so if you are the type who gets dizzy easily, this may not be for you. The facilitator showed everyone different constellations and provided some interesting facts.
We moved on to the “Kidspark” area where the girls played with water toys, balls, and did some pretend play at the mini-grocery store. In the water station, the kids can put on an apron and play with boats, fishing rods, and bubble machines. There was also a section where the kids can connect several race tracks and see how balls move on the tracks.
DD#2 enjoyed grocery shopping with her mini-cart and picking out real-sized boxes of juice, cereal and plastic fruits and veggies. DD#1 pretended to be the cashier and scanned the items being “purchased.” They played with a mini-house and a mini-castle as well. It was a bit hard to drag them away from this area, even with the promise of so many more exhibits to discover! So, we had to swear that we will come back before we go home.
We stopped for lunch at the Valley Marketplace where we had pizza, burgers and hotdogs. The food was okay, with prices you can expect for a captured market. It is possible to bring your own food, though, and they provide several seating areas for meals.
Next, we went to the “Living Earth” exhibit. There was a big aquarium, but the species were not as diverse. There were also live Madagascar and hissing cockroaches in terrariums. I especially liked the Rainforest section even though it was humid (we’ve had a long winter!). In more terrariums, among the lush greenery, there were live snails, turtles, and very colourful (albeit poisonous) frogs. There was also a waterfall and a hanging bridge over a small river.
The “Science Arcade” was next. We managed to catch the end of the Electricity show and the girls got on the stage to experiment with static electricity. They had a blast having their hair rise up as they held on to the metal ball. They had so much fun playing with the steel drums, touching and trying out different stations. I was happy to know they were learning a lot.
A couple of exhibits were closed and we breezed through the “Question of Truth” exhibit. We checked out the special exhibit, called, “Game On.” It was very nostalgic for Hubby and me. They had all sorts of video games from Pong and Pacman up to the current Kinect and Wii. There were gaming consoles, ancient hand helds, and big arcade ones as well.
Our last stop, before heading back to the “Kidspark” section, was the “Weston Family Innovation Centre.” The girls spent quite a bit of time at this area. They made crafts and were especially delighted with sponges transported by air through a tube and blown out at the top. Such simple joys!
Before we knew it, the PA system announced that they were about to close. What? It was already 5pm?! Wow, no wonder we were all tired! We actually spent the whole day at the centre! This place had so many activities and interesting stations for the kids that I actually think an annual pass is worth it. We would definitely go back. The birthday girl meanwhile declared it as her best birthday yet!
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