Lucy Reflects

Recently on a day that was colder than we originally thought, we made a last-minute decision to visit the North Museum just on the outskirts of downtown Lancaster.

The tots loved it! We happened to visit the last Wednesday of the month. What a pleasant surprise as The Little Explorer & Me program is held the last Wednesday of each month when the museum introduces a new topic to preschool guests. It includes hands-on demonstrations and experiments. A serious plus is that free coffee is also included for the adults. Kids five and under are also free during those programs.

As we stepped inside, we were greeted by a large rotating Earth exhibit that the kids loved staring at and touching for a good 10 minutes. We then went to the magnet exhibit which was the Explorer & Me exhibit of the month. The kids got to make a cool craft with an employee who was so patient with them, even when my twins insisted on having six googly eyes each.

We then moved on to the trove of live animals. They had a display of bees, turtles, lizards, spiders, and snakes (just to name a few). As it turns out all three toddlers are IN LOVE with turtles. We had no idea!

We checked out other interactive exhibits including toy dinosaurs (both small and large), magnets, a tornado, a huge spiral funnel to put coins in (the kids were enthralled by this) and a train table. Although we have a train table at home, the kids played with the museum’s table for over an hour, which was fine with Lucy and I because we had free coffee!

Downstairs are drawers and cabinets full of preserved butterflies, bugs, fossils, eggs, animals, fossils and rocks. There’s also a SciDome Theater. Check out the movie schedule on their website.

We really enjoyed ourselves at the North Museum and we will visit again. Kids two and under are free (and it’s really a great space for toddlers). Admission is $9 for adults and $8 for youth. They do have season pass options available including one that combines the North Museum and the Science Factory for only $145 for a family a year.

For more information, visit www.northmuseum.org.