Not your typical tailgate

Saturday Stories Alive at Schlow

 While most of State College was preparing for the game against 'Bama we took advantage of some attractions not often visited by your average Penn State fans.  Our first stop was at the library for Saturday Stories Alive where we heard three different school bus themed stories then made our own school bus craft.   After we checked out several books our stomachs were telling us it was lunch time. We knew we had to get out of downtown to escape the football crowds so we headed to Cafe Lemont.  As long as the warm weather holds Cafe Lemont is the perfect restaurant for children because active little ones can sprint between the old barn and your outdoor table without disturbing any other diners.  If you ask nicely they will also make a custom order grilled cheese for picky eaters!

Playing in The Nest at Discovery Space

We returned to downtown after lunch and were happy to find a much mellower atmosphere.  There was plenty of parking and almost no one at Discovery Space of Central PA.  If you ever want a State College attraction to yourself make sure to go during a home football game!  Discovery Space is an interactive, hands-on science museum for children.  It was designed to stimulate curiosity and spark imagination while children explore and learn about the world around them. The staff at Discovery Space were so gracious and welcoming.  We were ushered in and introduced to the museum.  M bee lined to the Archaeology Dig and began unearthing animal bones, pieces of ceramic pots, corn husks and old bells.  These she sorted into different bins and tried to determine what kind of lives were illustrated through the artifacts.  She truly wished she was digging for dinosaur bones but was happy none the less.  While M and I were investigating the archeological dig E and Dad played in The Nest; a bird themed enclave for the youngest visitors to Discovery Space.  E maneuvered herself from table to floor and between each play station with as much ease as her nine month old self could muster.  The toys and manipulatives were very age appropriate for her and she squealed with delight when she figured out how to play the rainbow colored piano.  She was so vocal about her happiness that M decided she needed in on the fun and both girls joyfully played together.

Flying her plane

In the mean time my husband found a flight simulator and indulged his fantasy of being a fighter pilot,  M soon noticed and went to join him.  This past week we read a book about "Brave Bessie" Coleman the first African American female pilot.  She died in a plane crash and when the controls of the fight simulator were not responding as smoothly as M would like she became agitated and worried that her plane would crash too.  Sometimes her imagination gets ahead of her so we decided to stop flying the plane and go watch a 3D movie on the Solar System.  M's preschool class has been learning about the stars and planets and the movie was a perfect extension to her school investiagtions.  She had so much confidence in her knowledge of space that she decided to become a teacher and lead her class (myself and several pretend pupils) around Discovery Space stopping to teach us about each exhibit.  She brought us to the beaver lodge, the circuitry table and the construction zone and imparted upon us her knowledge (some factual, some imaginary) of each. Her hand gestures were worth the price of admission though. She would point at objects then clasp her hands together and usher us to the next exhibit like a seasoned tour guide.

The Construction Crew

E and Dad joined our class when we arrived at the building site.  A very topical placard challenged us to design a building that would rest on the ground in dry weather then float in a flood.  We took this chance to discuss recent weather events and asked M how she thought she could overcome the challenge. We all settled in to build and design our structure, well M, Dad and I began to build while E took up her place on the destruction crew! Two types of building materials kept us all busy for some time.  My favorite was plastic shapes that had magnets embedded in them which could be used to craft cubes, decahedrons and any other 3-dimensional shape.  M and Dad loved using sturdy straws and links to construct a domed house/boat.  Though she loved designing the structure M seemed to be even happier organizing the building materials for clean-up! She sorted, stacked and ordered the bins and crates with NASA-like precision.

Soundscape Kinetic Sculpture

Our last stop at Discovery Space was at the Soundscape building tables.  We used blocks, ramps, bridges and bells to craft a kinetic sculpture that played simple music notes.  I loved watching M's mind tackle the challenge of setting up the ramps at different levels so marbles could seamlessly roll between them.  She carefully considered each choices and tested her decisions.  She did not want help from me so I built my own soundscape along side hers.  When I pointed out a potential hang-up I soon realized that M had already noticed it and incorporated it into her design.  The more involved in school and activities M's gets the more I become convinced that she is much smarter than I am! She has taken her father's analytical abilities and my curiosity and combined them into a seemingly unstoppable mind!  I am constantly amazed and in awe of my girls and am privileged to be their mother.   As we left Discovery Space M heartily endorsed it, "That place is so fun and has so much to do! Can we go back soon?"  Yes, we will be returning and I hope you will take the time to discover Discovery Space for yourself!