Prior to going on the Pittsburgh Press Tour, I researched the best Children’s Museums to visit and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh was HIGH on the list, so when I saw this attraction on our list I was very excited because I knew the children would LOVE it!
And let me tell you my children were WIPED OUT (in a good way) when we left!
When we arrived we had lunch at the Children’s Museum Cafe…the cafe was huge and VERY family friendly! There were lots of options to choose from for children and adults!
Next we headed to the Daniel Tiger Exhibit…
My children LOVE watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, so to be in the actual neighborhood was a little overwhelming for them! When we got in the “neighborhood”…DJ took off running he wanted to see as much as he could on his own. I guess he figured this was a dream so let me do as much as I can. Emma on the other hand was overwhelmed so she didn’t run off as quickly!
There is a TON of stuff to do inside Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood…
Transform into your favorite characters and neighborhood helpers, such as a policeman and doctor, using costumes and hand-held face masks. See yourself sparkle in the Imagination Mirror and act out a scene on the Imagination Stage.
Use a simple knitting machine to create a piece of a red sweater.
Visit the Clock Factory where you can play with different kinds of clocks; work with others to make the clock tick.
Express yourself using one-of-a-kind musical instruments.
Write or draw a thank you note to someone who has done something special for you and share it on the Thank You Tree.
Meet Daniel and all of his friends at the Neighborhood School. Make each friend move and say something special.
Sort, deliver and receive mail and packages at the Neighborhood Post Office.
Select a block and place it on the table to hear to Daniel sing a strategy song from the series.
Every time we left an exhibit to go to another one we had tears from one of the children…they enjoyed themselves in EACH room!!!
Next door we visited the Garage; which is all about driving, flying and rolling! This exhibit was a little advanced for my two but that didn’t stop them. They hopped in the car together, and big sister Emma looked as if she was trying to figure out how to get the car to “GO”….Thank God she didn’t figure it out!
We then headed to the Waterplay Exhibit…
We spent most of our time in the Waterplay area! The kids love water, and I wish I had known it was so much to do because I would’ve brought them a change of clothes so they could as wet as they wanted to.
Waterplay has several components that let the children pump, move, channel and dam the flow of water, and experience rain, spray and ice. Smocks are provided and they actually did a good job of keeping the kids dry…DJ ended up a little wet because he sat in a puddle of water…however, we put his shorts under the dryer, changed his diaper and he was ready to go!
We left the Waterplay Exhibit with both children in tears…
We then went to our final exhibit…The Nursery
I’m glad we made this our last exhibit because it gave the kids a chance to wind-down after a full day. They were able to play but it wasnt so much hustle and bustle as it was in the other exhibits.
In the Nursery you have a chance to…
Ride a seesaw whose motion creates rising water bubbles
Send balls through a nine-foot twisting, sculptural maze
Sculpt and comb colored sand with hand tools atop lighted tables
Build a wooden train system and drive trains around
Create glowing patterns and images by taking color pegs in and out of the Light Wall, making choices, sorting and learning the names of colors
Sift, pour and empty containers filled with smooth blue pebbles to develop hand-eye coordination and use tools
Build with wooden blocks on multiple levels
Light up circle panels filled with bottle caps, gummy bears and liquid tubes
Explore wooden toys and crawl about in a padded play area; a place where infants and non-mobile children can have “tummy time”
I could tell as we played in here that the kids were definitely getting tired! And the time to be back at the meeting location was also getting closer. I got one more pic of the kids before heading to the gift shop before it was time to go…
Overall, we had a GREAT time visiting the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh! I would definitely recommend the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to ANY family visiting Pittsburgh and looking for something family friendly to do. The Children’s Museum was fun for parents looking to have fun WITH their children.
