Family Fun
MBE Guest Mom Writer
The most amazing thing about Kidspace, located near Los Angeles, in Pasadena, California, is that every time we take our kids (two boys, ages two and four) here it gets better and better.
On our most recent visit just a few weeks ago, thanks to Kidspace, my mom, kids and I got to experience even more of this wonderful children's interactive museum offering indoor and outdoor activities with climbing structures, clay activities, water play, a tricycle track and much more.
Not only is this a kid-friendly place for children, it's also an engaging and manageable Southern California day trip which grandparents will enjoy.
The more we visit we're discovering that the opportunities for fun and education become multifaceted, more interactive and fun as the children grow and progress through various developmental stages.
Age-appropriate Activities
Kidspace is geared toward children ages 6 months through 10 years-old. For the youngest ones, there is a baby room for crawlers and non-crawlers, complete with age appropriate toys, exploring areas and even scheduled story time and classes.
Beyond that room there is a "Physics Forest" for older kids and parents. Here families can try out different science-based activities including a bottle rocket, giant foam blocks, and even my kids' favorite pulley chairs where you pull yourself up about 8 or 9 feet and enjoy the ride down.
Outdoor Fun, Water Play & Photo Opps
Our next step is always the outdoor tricycle tracks. There is one track for toddlers, and another track for 5 to 9 year olds. For additional fun and interaction, the toddler track area is equipped with water tables and some small slides. My kids played happily in this area for about 40 minutes, then we all headed up a little hill to the outdoor pond with filtered water where little ones can splash around. There is also a separate area with fish and turtles that kids can look at but not touch.
Since there's lots of water play activities, I highly recommend bringing water shoes, a change of clothes, and a towel. That way your kids will be dry and comfy after the water activities because there is still so much to do and explore. Water shoes for mom or other adults are helpful too, but you'll probably only get wet up to your shins. So as long as you're not wearing long pants or a long skirt you should be fine.
After water play, before changing into dry clothes, is a good time for kids to play in the outdoor clay area, have fun with the outdoor musical instruments, or even "dig for fossils" like a real paleontologist. Next, stroll through the Kidspace vegetable garden before stopping at the restrooms to change into dry clothes.
Then, step into the indoor air conditioned climbing areas ready for more activities. There boys and girls can climb up a pretend anthill, read in a little reading nook, color a picture, create arts and crafts, or even dress-up in the make-believe theater.
Interactive Nature Center
My kids' favorite part of the indoor play area on this trip was the nature center. We had so much fun looking at real snakes and toads through glass -- which this mom is super thankful for -- though they do have petting times scheduled for some creatures.
There is also a real beehive which kids can view through glass to learn about bees and the importance of pollination. When they were younger, my kids didn't really notice this section on earlier Kidspace visits, so we stayed at the slides and water tables. But, now that my oldest is 4 years old, this space seems fascinating to him.
 |
| Image courtesy of Kidspace |
New Exhibit Opening
This Friday, July 19 Kidspace unveils their newest exhibit, the Theater of Birds in partnership with an artist project from the Cloud Formation Lab. This outdoor installation is is designed to look like an upside down bird nest for young explorers to discover and learn about nature. Construction on this project began in January of 2019 and has the installation has since been used by resident artists for a variety of kids activities and workshops.
The new discoveries every time we go is what makes Kidspace so engaging and why our family keeps coming back. As they grow kids of every age will find something new to explore with all the indoor and outdoor fun to keep your adventurers busy for several hours. The only thing I wish could have been better about the entire experience is that because seating in the lunch area cannot accommodate everyone at lunchtime at the same time. So parents who want to use the tables to feed the kids food you've brought from home might want to not wait until the kids are overly hungry and instead strategize, plan ahead, and be flexible on when you sit down to eat.
We were on this trip from 10am to 1pm, for a total of 3 hours. We could have easily stayed and enjoyed for more time, but my two year old was ready for a nap after all the tricycling, splashing, climbing and running around. We will definitely be returning to Kidspace very soon.
About Kidspace Children's Museum
Kidspace, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary of service to Southern California families, is located at 480 North Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91103; phone 626-449-9144 . The children's 3.5 acre indoor and outdoor museum features 40 interactive exhibits with daily events and special monthly programs. For hours, activity schedule, admission details, and more information and tickets visit the official Kidspace website. You can also stay in the loop on everything Kidspace is up by following their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.