The Children's Museum of Virginia has a new exhibit based on the show Splash and Bubbles that serves as a hands-on, educational larger-than-life marine environment. I'm so pleased to share that this exhibit has lots of gross motor skills involved, meaning that kids will enjoy moving their bodies and that it is an exhibit you can hit more than once while it's here without boring them. My boys are very into marine life, in particular sharks, so I knew this would be a hit, but their favorite parts of the exhibit actually had nothing to do with the large shark wall. Instead, they loved the section on bioluminescence. Although black lights were commonplace for me growing up, now that I think about it, they are not around as much anymore. They loved seeing which items of theirs glowed, and they even colored pictures with glow in the dark crayons. They also loved playing on the "underwater pirate ship" and exploring the kelp forest. This was a fun exhibit! Catch it this summer; it's here until September 4th.
While you're there, be sure to check out their ongoing programs. Make-N-Take and S.T.E.M. Studio are both in the upstairs classrooms from 10-12 and 1-3. The Planetarium has also reopened and has ongoing shows, free with admission.
The Children's Museum is open Tuesdays-Sundays from 9-4. Tickets must be reserved and can be purchased for the hour you'd like to enter. Visitors can stay as long as they would like. Be sure to check out the AAA, military, and senior discount. Teachers get in for free with a teacher ID.
