Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania

With a questionable weather forecast last Wednesday afternoon, the kids and I decided to check out  Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania, the long-awaited science center targeting kids ages 2-12 right here in Central PA.

If you've learned anything about Central PA by following our Summer of Fun, its that most of the fun activities are somewhere else.  Sure, we've got two fantastic community pools and a few state parks that we can drive to in about 30 minutes or less.  But if the weather is bad and I am looking for indoor activities for the kids, the choices are very limited.  There's Fun Unleashed and Northland Bowl and that's about it for age-appropriate kids entertainment.

So, Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania is a pretty welcome addition to the area... at least in theory.  I can still remember their initial marketing literature, long before it started to become a reality.  With plans to purchase the old Verizon building downtown (which is a much bigger space than where they ended up) and an artist's rendering that showed a big dinosaur in a very big window, I had very high expectations for the place...

Unfortunately, high expectations typically lead to disappointment and that was certainly the case for me.

We initially saw the space during First Night State College.  At the time, it was hard to envision how the space would evolve - it was mostly an open floor plan with areas marked on the walls and floor indicating what you'd find in different areas.  They had a number of the 'exhibit' pieces at that point in time and I can still remember the kids playing with them. 

The official grand-opening isn't until October and until that point, admission is just $3 per person.  They're in the process of formalizing their membership with the Association of Science and Technology Centers and so, eventually, the membership we purchased in Pittsburgh back in June will get us in here.  After the official opening, admission will increase to $6 per person and I am not sure that I'd spend that much to take the kids there again... there's just not enough for them to do to drop $20.

So, just what is there?

There's a studio room that had a few "medical experiments" that the kids had no interest in.  I stayed in the room long enough to try and get my heart rate, but with results of 122 and 154, I am pretty sure the equipment is faulty.  Despite the fact that my mileage is down significantly over the last two months, my resting heart rate is typically in the high 50s or low 60s.

"Dig It"

There's a flight simulator program (a Microsoft product  like you'd have for your home PC) that crashed each time we tried to fly it... it had been installed just a few days prior and they were aware of the technical difficulties. I think the kids found EVERY item in the archeology dig table in the first 30 seconds they were there (bones, building materials, food, etc.) but they skipped over the sorting bins located behind the dig table. The beaver and dam, shadow puppets, and kiddie play areas were passed over all together, as was the 3D movie on constellations (though I watched a little and this was kind of cool).

Cathy tried to video blog the weather, and she certainly got a kick out of seeing herself on the computer screen (not realizing she was also on the TV screen on the opposite side), but this exhibit isn't really geared toward kids her age and since she refused my help, she never really figured it out.

Matt's favorite spot

The three big winners? The electronic circuits, building straws and connectors, and wood pieces that the kids could connect and race marbles down.

The circuits are neat - you can build ones that make noise, turn on a light, or launch a spinning disk into the air.   This was their favorite thing last winter too, so I was not at all surprised to see them spend so much time at this table.  Matt's now asking for his own circuit making kit for Christmas.

All told, we spent about two hours there and I was surprised it was that long.   If it weren't for those three things, we would have been out the door in half an hour.

I don't mean to be too down on the place.  I think it's a great idea and certainly something that was needed in the area.  It's just that this summer alone, I've been to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Please Touch Museum, Franklin Institute, and Hand-on-House - all places with so many activities that we spent an entire day at each and could easily go back and do it all again.  And over time, with donations, admission fees, and membership fees coming in, I am sure that it will grow into the kind of place its founders and supporters envisioned.

At least I hope so.