Saturday we took the kids to the Lancaster Science Factory. One of our local libraries has museum passes that you can check out for free and it allows you free admission into various museums. If you can't get a museum pass, you can still get in for free. This Saturday, March 25th, the Lancaster Science Factory is having FREE admission, no museum pass needed. Regular admission is $8.50 per person which can quickly add up for a family of 6, so we're always on the look out for a good deal and free is even better. You can check out their website HERE. This post is not sponsored by the Lancaster Science Factory, I just wanted to share a good deal and a fun place to take the kids.
The science factory is great fun for kids of all ages (including adults). The place isn't that big so it's easy to keep and eye on your kids when they all want to play in different areas. It can be as fun or as educational as you want. Each 'station' has things to do, kind of like a science experiment, and tells you how it works. It is very interactive and some of the stations require team work, while others let you work alone. We did most of the stations and stayed for about 3 hours.
My two year old was especially fond of anything that had to do with balls. He loved watching the balls roll down this gravity well.
Of course my oldest daughter had to check out the art and music stations.
There were several puzzles and brain teasers that kept my teenage son and husband busy. Seriously, my son must have spent a good 30 minutes figuring out the Towers of Hanoi puzzle.
Pulleys, more balls and dam building.
It took some teamwork but they finally built the arch and even got it to stand still for an entire second until it came crashing down.
Making designs with the sand pendulum.
Gears, gears and more gears.
Colored shadows.
In case you are wondering about what types of stations or exhibits they have, here's the list:
Light & Vision:
- Benham's Disk
- Color Changeup
- Color Filter (Chameleon)
- Color Illusion Disks
- Colored Shadows
- Duck-Under Kaleidoscope
- Lens, Mirrors & Filters
- Scope on a Rope
- Visual Illusions
Electricity & Magnetism:
- Crank Power
- Conductors and Insulator
- Electrical Circuits
- Light It Up
- Magnetic Field Visualization
- Magnetic Sculpture
Mechanics & Motion currently on display in the Museum:
- Ball Tracks - Galileo Track
- Ball Tracks - High Road/Hilly Road
- Ball Tracks - High Road/Low Road
- Ball Tracks - Identical Tracks
- Gear Power
- Gravity Racer
- Gravity Well
- Kinetic Energy Machine
- Magnetic Pendulum
- Mechanical Advantage
- Mini-Racers
- Newton's Cradle
- Pegboard Pendulum
- Pendulum Lab - Period
- Pendulum Snake
- Roller Coaster
- Sand Pendulum
- Super Bounce
Structural Engineering:
- Catenary Arch
- Ceiling Beam
- Earthquake
- Truss Bridge
Acoustics:
- Bongophone
- Drumbone
- Whisper Dishes
Fluid Dynamics:
- Air Play
- Dam the Creek
- Flight Deck
- Hero's Fountain
- Minimal Surfaces
- Parachute Launch
- Tennis Ball Launcher
- Water Tornado
Puzzles & Brain Teasers:
- Army Ants
- Big Magic
- Box of Many Holes
- Circle Packing
- Crossing the River
- Cyclograph
- Horse & Cowboy
- Hyperbolic Slot
- Magic Square
- Pyramid Puzzler
- Shut the Box
- Square Deal
- Tangram
- Towers of Hanoi
- Trapezoids 2 Triangle
- Vanishing Leprechaun
With kids of varying ages and stages, from toddlers to teens, it can be a challenge to find activities that everyone likes. The Lancaster Science Factory is one of those places where everyone can play and have fun. I'm sure we'll be checking out the free museum pass again and again.
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