Explosions, Manatees, and Pteranadons Too
Where’s one place where you can watch artificially created lightning bolts, dig for fossils under a sky full of Pteranodons, learn about all the functions of the human body, walk next to a blue whale, and spend an hour playing in a climb-able tree-house? MOSH, the Museum of Science and History in downtown Jacksonville, Fl, at 1025 Museum Circle, is one of our favorite places to hang out in Jacksonville. Whether you live here or are just passing through, MOSH is one of the best things this city has to offer.
We try to go on an educational field trip each Friday, which also happens to be “$5 Fridays” at MOSH. This is a great break for the wallet, considering that admissions usually run $10 per adult and $8 per child. That gets expensive quickly! $5, however, is more than worth the price. After a morning of piano practice, French, and phonics, we were ready to get out and have some fun with hands-on science!
We met our homeschool group at the front of the museum and learned that we were just in time for the Extreme Science Show in the JEA Science Theater. We thought we’d give it a chance and I’m sure glad we did! A scientist performed hands-on, interactive experiments in the center of the auditorium. Alex was one of the many children to volunteer and had a blast. They did experiments with static electricity, “Old Sparky” an electricity machine, balloons, sound, and much more. My kids were enthralled and paid attention the entire time (except for the baby… that’s a whole different story… shudder). The show lasted 30 minutes and left them pumped up with excitement. It ended with a big boom…. Literally (a sonic boom). Cover your ears!
The human-body exhibit—The Body Within– is always a winner. There are interactive exhibits for different bodily functions, such as noisy nerves that light up when you touch them, a digesting stomach that made Derek run in fear, and interesting pictures too. Alex loves this exhibit because you have to walk through a giant mouth to get into it. Ethan enjoyed the boxes where you stick your hand inside and guess what you’re feeling. Derek just peaked inside first, then felt it and proudly proclaimed his “guess.” We went through this area several times because there were so many things to see and buttons to push. My kids really like to push my buttons. 
The Savage Ancient Seas: Dinosaurs of the Deep was just plain awesome. Although a little on the small side, it’s a dinosaur-lovers dream. Six-and-a-half-year-old Alexandria is my budding paleontologist and is crazy about fossils, so her eyes lit up when we walked in. There were Pteranodon hanging from the ceiling, a gigantic sea turtle fossil, and lots of creepy, sharp-toothed flesh-eating fish. Derek thought the monster shark jaw was scary but the marine reptiles were pretty cool. The hands-down winner was the dig pit in the center of the room, where the children used brushes to dig away the sand and discover fossils. It was busy with about a dozen “paleontologists” vying for space and brushes, but totally worth it. My children were “thrilled” to be pulled away after 30 minutes or so and walk through Currents of Time, a journey through Jacksonville history. They practically ran back into the dinosaur area as soon as we re-emerged.
The play area was busy today but we stopped by to climb the tree-house and play in the water exhibit before heading outside to Friendship Park. This park has been totally redone and is now absolutely awe-inspiring. There are three sets of fountains within a giant circular pond and they are synchronized to music. We walked around it twice, then found a nice bench and watched the show again. Wow! The view of downtown Jacksonville is amazing from Friendship Park and the water show is really great. Ethan says that was his favorite part of the entire trip.
Now the kids are nice and tired and sleeping soundly. Alex is busily coloring in her free MOSH coloring book and talking non-stop about the things she learned. The boys are excited to get up from naps and color theirs as well. What a great way to cap off a week of fun and learning adventures. I just wished I’d remembered to grab my camera! For $5 a person I think we’ll head back again sometime soon… with the camera.
