Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ - A short review!

 

I've always been fascinated with the beauty of space and I have been a fan of science centers since I was young, so when we visited Flagstaff I knew I wanted to check out the Lowell Observatory. The Lowell Observatory is family friendly & they have an awesome area for small children that offers a lot of hands on science & space based activities. Even as an adult you might find a hands on activity or two in this room that you'll enjoy, like building a mini rocket and trying to shoot it through some hoops. 

A secondary room offers hands on activities that are for teens and adults from balancing two weights to make a chair spin without moving your body, or even a spot that has different things to smell there is quite a bit to do on the first floor. If you want to sit down for a bit they have a theatre that features a number of different presentations ranging from half an hour to an hour long. 

Outside you'll find a number of telescopes set up pointed at different planets & stars with a staff member next to it explaining what you will get to see, how to look into the telescope properly and answer any questions you may have. There are also a few buildings to explore which contain museum pieces, huge telescopes & more. Depending on what you decide to do while here and how quickly you walk around looking at everything you'll be here for one to four hours. 

If you end up getting hungry or want to grab something to drink, there is a café up front across from the gift shop. We had a lot of fun visiting & exploring everything the observatory had to offer. It was definitely worth the visit, and it was nice being able to enjoy the lovely weather while walking around the outside portion of the observatory. Everything was laid out to where things were easy to find, they had plenty of benches along the way in case you happened to become tired plus there were plenty of lovely photo opportunity spots. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  Lowell Observatory provided us a discount in exchange for a review, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Can you beat a Guinness World Record @ The AZ Science Center?

 

If you live near Phoenix, AZ & Have kids, but haven't stopped by to see the current featured exhibit at the Arizona Science Center, then you are missing out. The current exhibit which will stay put until January 1st, 2024 is the science of Guinness World Records. It is a blast for the whole family from small children to teens & it would even make a fun date idea for couples to do together. This attraction requires a separate ticket from center admission so make sure you have both in order to get in! It is located on the third floor of the science center, so you can choose to head straight there then work your way down the science center or save it for last. Tickets for this exhibit are $8.95 per person.

You will not only get to see a little bit of information on current world records that have received Guinness certificates, but you'll also get a chance to see how good you are at some of the records. The exhibit is filled with a number of interactive stations where you can test out your speed & dexterity. Some of the challenges are for a singular person to do while others allow you to compete against each other at the same time.  

Each station has a clear set of instructions to follow & it will also tell you what the current record holders time is. Some of them are absolutely insane with how quickly they manage to complete the task. We visited on a Sunday morning & were happy to find the exhibit wasn't packed, so we didn't have to wait in a lot of lines to try out the different stations which made the experience even more enjoyable. We had a blast trying to top each other at each station, there was at least one thing that each of us were able to beat the others in. If you haven't worked your arms out in a while, you will get an arm work out during the challenges, from trying to get as many drumbeats as you can in a minute to fastest fist bumps and even seeing how long you can hang from a bar, you might be a little tired at the end. But you'll hardly notice while it is happening, because you'll be having too much of a good time. The exhibit as a whole felt almost like a game section at a carnival, you'll want to stop and do it all. You might not get a prize to take home like at the carnival, but if you beat the others in your group at various stations you will have the bragging rights to take home! 

In the back section of the exhibit they have a small seating area where you can sit or stand & watch some clips showing some of the world record holders & see them performing their feats. There is also a bathroom + water fountains near this section so you won't need to leave and come back. If you do happen to have any questions or need help with one of the stations, there were a number of employees walking around that are happy to help & someone is stationed at the front entrance as well. We had a lot of fun & have been talking about it since we visited, we highly recommend that you check it out for yourself. You'll even find some fun video game stations where you can try to beat the top record holder! The two video games they have are a giant pac-man game & a DDR machine. 

Tickets to the AZ Science center are $21.95 per adult & $15.95 for children 17& Under. Sometimes "extras" such as visiting museums, going to the movies, etc can be hard for low income families so the science center participates in a program called Museums for All that allow EBT card holders to purchase tickets for a highly discounted rate. I recently wrote a post about this program & some of the great museums you can visit with the program, you can check that post out by clicking here. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. 

Disclaimer- Tickets to the center + exhibit mentioned above were provided by The Arizona Science Center for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium in Tucson!

 

We recently took a mini vacation down to Tucson to check out some of the local attractions they have to offer, one of the places we decided to stop was the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium. We always have a great time when we visit the Arizona Science Center so we were looking forward to visiting a new science center together to see what they had in store for us. It is located at 1601 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721. This science center is part of the University of Arizona so it is on the same grounds as the school buildings & does not have any designated parking so you will have to get lucky and score on of the free street parking spots or parking in a close parking garage. They have maps on their website that shows where parking is available near the center. The building for the science center is smaller than our local science center but you can hardly tell as there are so many fun things packed into the two floors of the center that you'll be entertained the entire time you were there. Along with the science center they have a Planetarium that runs shows through out the day, we had a few other places we wanted to visit during our trip so we skipped the planetarium show until next time we visit.

The first floor of the science center features a large exhibit on sharks with life sized recreations of how big their tail fins are, interactive quizzes, digital boards where you can build your own shark, real taxidermy shark eggs, bones and more. There is also a large area featuring the Wild World of Bugs where they have more interactive spots, plenty of educational information, some dead bugs on display along with some live bugs you are able to hold upon request. My son & husband were able to hold one of the beetles they have available to touch, it was so cute and seemed pretty used to being held. Last but not least the first floor also has a section dedicated to the solar system with some pretty neat information & a wall that has a bunch of cans with various weights in them to show you how much they would weigh on the different planets. 

After you've looked at everything on the first floor you can head downstairs to visit another level of hands on activities and exhibits. The bottom floor has tons of fossils & minerals plus tons of fun puzzles you are able to sit down and complete, some you are able to work on by yourself & some were meant for two people so you can have fun together. Some of the puzzles were a challenge so you might find it best to work together as a team to complete them & if you need any help a staff member is always in the area to lend a hand or ask questions. 

We enjoyed taking our time looking at everything this science center has to offer, in total we spent a little over an hour and a half at the center doing puzzles, reading the educational materials, and looking at cool things. On your way out you can pop by the gift shop if you want to pick up a souvenir. The Flandrau Science Center is $12 per adult & $8 per child ages 3-15, the Planetarium is a separate cost however they have a discount if you buy the two combined & if you are an EBT/SNAP card holder you can show your card along with your ID to receive your tickets for just $3 each. If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" (You can also click the link) in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

**This is not a sponsored post, my family & I decided to visit the zoo while we were in the area and paid to visit the zoo. I enjoy sharing some of the fun places we've been & things we've seen with my readers so they can enjoy it too if they get a chance.**

Exploring Earth - Science Kit Review!

 

If your child loves to collect rocks, loves science or enjoys learning about earth then the exploring earth kit from The Young Scientists Club line sold by Horizon Group USA would make the perfect gift for them this holiday season. This fun kit comes with a dig kit along with supplies for a few science based hands on projects your child will have fun completing. It is recommended for ages five to seven, however I see no reason a child older than seven wouldn't enjoy this as well.

One or two of the projects in this kit can get a little messy so I would suggest doing this kit when the weather is a little nicer out so you can complete them outside & save yourself the hassle. If heading outside to complete the projects isn't an option, you can always lay down a plastic table cloth which will help collect any messes. In total there are sixteen activities included  in this kit & not all of them need to be completed at once so your child can spread them out over the course of a few days. The first project we dove into was the mineral dig, in the book it shows that it is supposed to come with eight minerals in total - four that have been polished & four that are unpolished. Our kit only came with seven of the minerals, we completely broke apart the block then even smashed the pieces into dust to check for the lost gem but it was no where to be seen, while a small bummer it is alright because we still love the others. It came with a little wooden chisel, but I was surprised that a little wooden hammer wasn't included as there is usually a chisel/hammer set in the dig kits we've done in the past. To help contain the mess we did the dig kit on the inside of the box everything came in & did it out on our front porch because the chalk the gems are buried in tends to get everywhere. 

The second project I would suggest potentially doing outside is the exploding volcano, chances are it won't end up everywhere but just in case we did this outside too for an easier clean up. Thankfully we have everything on hand that is needed for this project minus the volcano cone which comes with this kit. I like that the booklet that comes with this kit telling you how to complete the projects also has fun facts about the earth & spots for you to write down your observations of the projects you complete. This kit would make a great kit to use any time of the year & I think it would make a great gift as well for any child in your life interested in STEM projects. 

My son is nine so he was able to complete all of these projects by himself, younger children may need a help with a step or two of the process which works out because the projects are fun to do together. Horizon Group USA sells this kit along with dozens of others across their lines that are perfect for young children, all of the kits are fun yet educational, plus the best part of all is that they are affordable. You can purchase their products on Amazon, or at big box stores such as Walmart, Michaels Craft Stores, Etc. 

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Arizona Science Center a great spot for hands on learning!

 

Phoenix families are you looking for a fun activity to do together before school starts back up for the year? Why not spend a few hours at the Arizona Science Center, where you'll have fun & keep the brain active while learning something new. The science center has four levels of exhibits to explore, along with their featured exhibit which changes frequently. The current featured exhibit is called "Survival of the Slowest" where you'll be able to see real life critters on display & learn fun facts about all of the different "slow" species. Tickets are $21.95 for adults & $15.95 for ages 3-17, admission includes all of their regular exhibits - tickets for the featured exhibit, planetarium, and theatre cost extra. They also sell memberships that are a one time payment & you'll be able to visit as many times through out the year as you'd like. The science center is located in downtown phoenix, the address is 600 E. Washing St. Phoenxi,Arizona 85004. 

Once you arrive, you can choose how you'd like to explore the science center, you can work your way up or down. We decided to head to the top floor & work our way down, we had arrived about 11am and wanted to attend the survival of the slowest show at 12:15pm so we made sure we were exploring the floor it was on so we didn't miss it. All the of exhibits offer hands on activities & experiences for both kids and adults to enjoy, ranging from building with Legos to digitally morphing a photo by pressing different buttons.  

The featured exhibit was personally my favorite part because they have close to two dozen different live critters for you to see up close. I was pretty impressed with how large their enclosures were for each animal, they were bigger than some zoo enclosures I've seen for animals of similar styles/species. Along the way you'll get to learn facts about all the animals plus other animals that aren't there in person. They have two shows daily where a staff member will talk about animals & even show you one or two of the animals. When we were there they pulled out the boa & let everyone touch it, then everyone had the opportunity to help feed the tortoises. 

We also stopped by to watch a presentation in the Planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the presentation on the solar system, it took you on a 360 degree virtual trip through the stars and planets. Along the way you'll learn about the solar system & take mini polls along the way answering by clicking the buttons on the handle of your chair. Who grew up learning that Pluto was a planet & thinks it should still be considered a planet vs a dwarf planet? 

During our visit we had a lot of fun exploring all of the various exhibits & getting to interact with what was available. There are so many things to enjoy at the science center that this post would end up being gigantic if I told you about everything they have to offer which is why it is best for you to check out the fun for yourself! I will also be putting together a Instagram reel highlighting some of the things we did while at the science center & you can click here to see a quick reel of some of the critters they have on display at Survival of the Slowest. 

I really enjoy that the science center isn't geared towards just younger children, teens & adults will have a great time as well. I personally like the "My Digital World" Exhibit & the "Forces of Nature"! One of the hands on activities in the my digital world area is this cylinder that is filled with tiny yellow & blue beads with one singular red bead thrown in. You are able to spin the cylinder round & round letting the beads roll as you turn it so you can try and spot the read bead, I was pretty excited when I was the first one out of my group to spot the red bead! In total we spent about three and a half hours exploring the science center, we arrived at 11am on a Saturday & were happy to find it was super crowded, plus with the way they have everything set up it allows everyone to have room to enjoy the exhibits. 

A few things to know before you go! Parking is not included with your ticket, there are several parking garages in the area however the science center will only validate your parking if you park in the Heritage & Science Park garage, you can google it or there is a map on their website showing where it is located. This will allow you to park for cheaper. They do have a snack vending machine that I spotted near the front entrance, but they do not have a restaurant at the science center so you may want to look into eating before you go, or stopping at a near by restaurant once you are done. The science center provides a list of close restaurants on the back of the map of the science center to make it easier for you to find a place to eat. If you want to really make the most of your day & beat the Arizona heat by staying indoors the Children's Museum of Phoenix is located quite close to the science center, you can find info on that by clicking here.

My family & I had a wonderful time at the science center and will definitely be keeping an eye on their social media pages to see what the next featured exhibit is. They also have various events & programs you can participate in, all of which can be found on their website. A little extra info; if you are a EBT card holder the science center is park of the Museums for all program where you can get tickets to the science center for $3 per person (you'll need to reserve your tickets ahead of when you want to visit).

Disclaimer- The Arizona Science Center provided tickets to the science center + tickets for the featured exhibit/planetarium for the review free of charge, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.