Franklin Institute

This morning we ate a quick breakfast, tossed the kids in the car, and headed to Philly to visit the Franklin Institute.  It was "Sensory Sunday" there, where they turn down the sounds and the lights on some of their exhibits for kids who may have some sensory issues.  I have no idea how it is on a "normal" day, and if they could have turned the down the volume of the pack of Boy Scouts that would have been GREAT - but we got to go early to beat the crowds, and it was at a discounted price, so we were cool with it.  The kids had a BLAST and would like to go back tomorrow.  The grown-ups would like to go to bed right this instant, and have re-discovered how much they dislike other people's kids.

We spent a whole lot of time in the space exhibit - SURPRISE!

Checking out astronaut suits

Building a Mars rover, the old-fashioned way

Building a Mars rover on the computer - this game has been declared "The Most Fun Game EVER."  John spent a lot of time here.  Fortunately he had a smart phone and free wi-fi.

Erin and I checked out the HUGE train while the boys built more Mars rovers:

There was a pay phone in the train room.  "Mama, how do you hang this up?"  Excellent question, sweetie.  You've never seen a phone with a cord, have you...

Testing out different kinds of train wheels

Blowing the train whistle

All Aboard!  Erin drove.  I got to ride... in the tender.

We had a fun time in the Maze of Mirrors, which was part of a younger-kid oriented room with some water play, bubbles, fog horns, and air tubes:

And then we went and checked out THE BRAIN.  Climbed in the brain.  Made neuron connections.  Put together a brain puzzle.  We liked watching the kids turn a wheel to watch the neural pathway light up, and have ping pong balls POP out of the end when the message got there.  Erin giggled like mad, although it scared the bejezus out of her a few times.

Brain climby thing

Both kids inside the neural pathways of the brain.  They did a nice job of staying together.  Erin, being little, actually had an easier time getting through some places than Dexter.

Say BRAIN!

Very cool screen where you could move neurons around and get them to make pathways.

This is the neuron with the ping pong balls at the end.  Erin was giggling, but then got too scared to actually turn the wheel the whole way.

Dex tried it out, too

I have no idea what this thing is actually supposed to DO, but the kids had a wonderful time dancing around in front of the screen.

Here's Dex, doing something like what the directions said to do.

We spent LOTS and LOTS of time in the Amazing Machines room, which made Dexter and John very happy.  Erin and I did ok for a little while, but Erin was tired and grumpy and I can only watch gears and pulleys for just so long.  So we went and played with rocks in the gift shop.

Erin built a cool domino line

The kids worked together to move the crane and move some pieces of foam.

Dexter spent so much time playing with gears.  He LOVED it.

This was his crowning achievement - with gears and four pulleys.  He was very proud of it.

We spent a little time in the Sports Zone, but it was super crowded and hot by the time we got there.  The kids ran a race, jumped for height, and had an arm-pedaled bicycle race:

Our final stop was the Franklin Air Show, all about airplanes.  We floated balls in mid-air, banged drums and watched the wall opposite shimmer, sat in an airplane, and tried on some wings.  There was lots of air blowing in here, which made Erin happy.  She likes it when things blow her hair:

Dex, pretty close to flying away.

And then we drove an hour home, and Erin single-handedly ate an entire sleeve of Girl Scout peanut butter sandwich cookies.  And now it's 9PM, and I need to go to bed.  Science, man.  It's EXHAUSTING.