Many of the museums in New York will be of interest to all age groups, but
there are some that are designed specifically for the children.
One of the best museums for the kids is the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
This is a participatory museum, founded in 1973, that lets children learn
through playing. Kids will be transported through the digital age in the HP
Inventor Center and the Time Warner Center for Media allows them to be
transformed into wannabe camera operators, animators, technicians and
newscasters in the state of the art studio.
There is a Body Odyssey exhibit, where children can enjoy a scientific ride
through the human body. There are guest performers at weekends including
story tellers and on Saturdays children will enjoy making their own books.
View of Guggenheim Museum.
Another great museum for children is the Staten Island Children’s Museum,
where there is a large anthill, which proves popular by the children
climbing on it.
The first museum specifically designed for children was the Brooklyn
Children’s Museum, which was founded in 1899. This has been the inspiration
for other children’s museums that have opened throughout the world. This
museum is housed in a high tech underground building, dating back from 1976,
where the emphasis is on hands on exhibits and exploration. One of the most
popular attractions here is the giant sized walk-on piano, similar to the
one Tom Hanks danced on in the movie “Big” Children find this huge toy
irresistible and even the adults can’t resist a quick go. There are plenty
of attractions here to keep the young ones amused for hours.
The Intrepid Sea-Air Space Museum is another great place to take the
children. This is a real World War II US aircraft carrier, with various
exhibits including fighter planes from the 1940’s and the world’s fastest
spy plane- the A-12.
Other exhibits include the destroyer Edson and a guided missile submarine –
Growler. There is even a Mission Control exhibit, where children can
experience live coverage of some NASA shuttle missions via satellite.
A must see museum is the American Museum of Natural History – where there is
a fascinating dinosaur display and the Hayden Planetarium display. This
museum opened in 1877 and is one of the largest natural history museums in
the world today, spanning four city blocks and displaying over 30 million
artefacts and specimens.
View the Blue Whale exhibit, the largest living or extinct mammal ever,
weighing a staggering 100 tons or marvel at the Barosaurus dinosaur, which
lived over 140 million years ago. Food and various snacks are available here
and access for the disabled is catered for. Cameras are allowed inside the
building.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan:
212 W 83rd Street
New York
Tel: 721-1234
Open: 10am – 5pm Wednesday to Sunday
Closed: New Years Day Christmas Day
cmon.org
