Visiting a science museum can pique the curiosity of the child and help build interest in the subject. In addition to providing plenty of educational materials, museums also provide access to hands-on exhibits and immersive programs to help children easily understand complex concepts. A museum visit also encourages learning outside classrooms by exposing children to new facts and ideas. In today’s modern world, museum visits have become a highly underrated leisure activity, despite its benefits in developing a child’s cognitive abilities, listening, and problem-solving skills. Here are some of the best science museums around the world for kids:
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is more than just a museum; it is a public learning laboratory committed to exploring the world through art, science, and technology. Located in San Francisco, California, motivates active exploration and learning in visitors with its hundreds of exhibits and events. The museum, founded in 1969 by physicist Frank Oppenheimer, has six main galleries, each dedicated to a different area of exploration, such as human interaction, creativity, living systems, physics, natural phenomena, and history. The museum also has plenty of artworks on display that are perfectly curated to educate children on different scientific theories.
NEMO Science Museum
The NEMO Science Museum is in Amsterdam and is a state-of-the-art center for exploring science, mathematics, and technology. It is the largest science museum in the Netherlands and offers children an interactive and immersive experience in understanding new concepts. The museum has more than ten unique galleries dedicated to topics such as humankind, light and sound, mathematics, machine learning, renewable energy, space exploration, etc. The children can also learn to build dams and buildings through hands-on experiments, which helps them understand the physics behind harnessing nature to create and build.
London Science Museum
London Science Museum is one of the biggest public funded museums in the UK, which makes it free of any admission fee. The museum fuels imagination and piques curiosity in children with its award-winning exhibitions and beautifully curated galleries. One of the museum’s major attractions is its Wonder Lab, an interactive gallery with live demonstrations and experiments educating children about natural phenomena of lightning, gravity, etc. Another unique exhibition of this science museum is its detailed exploration of the past, present, and future advancements in the field of cancer cure and treatment.
Ontario Science Center
Ontario Science Center is a futuristic science museum located in Toronto, Canada. Children can learn about beliefs and limitations that affect scientific research, the human body, space exploration, etc. here. The museum also provides an interactive learning experience for kids under eight to learn different science concepts easily. Major attractions of the museum include the Space Hall, an exhibit featuring meteors from Mars, and the Science Arcade. Children can also explore how birds take flight and how science is used in planes and drones using immersive VR technology.
Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
Located in Shanghai, this is one of China’s most visited museums, and for a good reason. The museum offers eight unique exhibitions educating the masses about topics such as environmental issues, technology, machine learning, exploration, health and the human body, space travel, etc. The interactive classrooms for children are trailblazing; they strive to educate them about technologies like 3D printing and provide experience in fossil excavation through play. The museum also presents special exhibitions throughout the year.