Austin Children's Museum

Friday, during our visit to Austin, the kids and I went to the Austin Children's Museum after our trip to get a giant donut from Round Rock Donuts. We arrived about 10 minutes before they opened, but they let us wait in the lobby since the wind made it so cold outside. While we waited, I met a grandmother and her grandboys who were also in town visiting, and were early to the museum. While I chatted with them, Faith danced in the lobby and Nathan stared out the window. He alternated from staring through a window to outside (where construction workers worked) to staring through a window that looked into the museum. I didn't think much of this... until we were inside.

When the museum opened, and we got out tickets, we started out into the museum. But Nathan refused to go. There was a giant train table int he museum I could clearly see. Why did my son not want to go over there??? He insisted we go into the museum shop instead. I tried to turn his attention to the train table. He insisted more on the shop. So I gave in. He went inside, went straight to the back, around a shelf, out of sight. What was he doing??? He acted like he knew where he was going... well, he did.

Remember those windows he was staring through? They were windows into the museum gift shop. And he spotted something he wanted. A big box with a train set inside - the identical train set he has at home!!! It was pretty funny to watch him. He was quite upset that I made him put it back on the shelf. That's the first time we've gone into a gift shop where he's thought he could leave with something. I think our days of not having to fight over not buying something for him may be gone... lol 

Thankfully there was a big train table at the entrance to the museum, and that helped me distract Nathan from the train set he wanted in the gift shop! Before long, he'd completely forgotten about the gift shop!

We spent about an hour in the train table area over the course of our visit. We started there... then explored... then Nathan went back while Faith & I remained in eye sight of him... then we had a huge fight in the museum as I pulled him away from the table so we could explore the second floor... then we ended with more time playing there before we left the museum.

Right next to the train table, was a giant lite brite-like exhibit. The lite brite & train table were the only two things in that section of the museum. Faith loved the lite brite - and could have played there all day while her brother played with the trains. In fact, it was funny to watch how EVERY girl wanted to play with the lite brite. And EVERY boy wanted to play with the trains. Moms would encourage their boys to try the lite brite - and they'd go right back to the trains. And vice versa. Funny how we really are wired differently!

After a short time at the train table, Nathan was willing to leave to explore the rest of the museum.

There was a kiddie slide that he & Faith each loved to go down.

And in the middle of the room were a dozen different obstacles, rollercoasters and racetracks for golf balls. Much like the exhibit at Amazement Square - the children's museum I worked at while in seminary. Nathan LOVED it. Especially the tower that the balls rolled around as they went down. He didn't want to leave. So Faith and I ventured off to the neighboring exhibit, ensuring I could see Nathan from where we were.

There was a veterinary hospital for kids to play in. And Faith quickly made friends with the racoon. She didn't want to leave him behind when it was time to keep moving onto another exhibit! Maybe she'll be a vet one day?? Who knows. God does - and whatever He has planned for her will be perfect!

We left the vet's office and tried to encourage Nathan to come explore more stuff with his. Nathan wanted nothing to do with leaving the golf ball area. Until I told him that near the veterinary office (in fact, just above it) was a TRAIN station. He came to see. And happily went up the steps!

The train station was pretty cool. There were buttons to press to hear different noises that various types of trains make.

And there was a big model train that the kids would start up - it made a loop through the second floor of much of the museum. They had fun watching it and trying to chase after it so that it was always within sight.



Here's a little video of them with the model train:



Next to the veterinary hospital, and under the train station, was a whole section of the museum about milk production. Cows milk, that is. There was a lifesize cow, a bottling factory and a grocery store. The kids didn't care about the cow. But they LOVED taking the play bottles of milk and letting them roll down the conveyer belt. Over and over and over again! At the bottem of the conveyer belt, they were suppose to take the bottles out and stock the grocery store. But they didn't care about the store either. They just grabbed their basket again, ran back inside, and sent it down the conveyer belt again. What fun :)

On the other side of the children's museum was a "Mi Familia" exhibit. It was all about latin families. There was tons of things to see, do and learn in that area. But Nathan refused to join us. He wanted to play at the train table. Faith, on the other hand, was happy to dress up and pretend to be in the mariachi band. And see all the other things along with me. While I kept one eye on Nathan who was happily playing at the train table. 

There was still a whole upstairs to explore. So we forced Nathan to leave the train table - ensuring him we would come back to it after exploring the 2nd & 3rd floors. He threw a monster temper tantrum... but I won in the end. And we headed upstairs to see the constuction & engineering exhibits.

There were a series of pullies you could play with to launch a toy pig in the air - a pig attached to a parachute. That was pretty cool. Both kids like watching pigs fly :) But most of the other exhibits in the engineering area were for older kids - there was some pretty cool stuff there, though!

And there was a dress up corner in the construction exhibit. Faith loved wearing a vest, and, especially a hat. After she put her hat on, she brought one to Nathan!

Talk about a cute construction worker. Woo hoo!!

"I can't see mom... where, where's the cute construction worker?!?"

There were big metal tonka toys to play with... Nathan loved them!

I wonder if his Daddy will ever let him know that his greatgrandparents gave him a bunch to play with and keep at home?!? I think Daddy is secretly keeping them for himself. lol

This was cool... the construction exhibit was 3 stories tall. On the first floor you could send tools up to the kids on the 3rd floor. They could shout through the white funnel what they wanted, and then, see where Nathan is?, there's a big tube that goes up the 3rd floor. It's got air blowing through it and a small hole just big enough for the plastic tools. You stick a tool, or a screw, a nut, etc, through the hole and it flies up to the third floor, and spits out in a bucket up there. That was pretty cool. I think Nathan would have sent all the tools up if a elementary school tour hadn't come through, forcing us out of the small play area.

Then we discovered more fun with PVC pipes.. they had a pipe organ you could play. You hit the opening of the pipes with the foam paddle and it played a note. That was pretty cool, too!

Then we headed back to the... take a guess... yup, the train table. After all, I had promised Nathan that we'd go back after we explored the engineering & construction areas. We hung ou at the train table for a long while. Until it was time to start heading back to the hotel for lunch and naps.

Friday night we were to have a busy one - going to visit family north of Austin. So we all needed a nap! I'll post pictures from our evening tomorrow :)