Photo Credit: Newark Museum
If you're stuck inside on a rainy spring day this month or just want to take the kids to something educational this month, these hands-on exhibits will get their wheels turning in no time.
Fire Museum at the Newark Museum
Got a fire truck-obsessed kid? This high-tech exhibit gives kids the chance to climb aboard a real fire truck cab before getting their hands dirty in a demo where they try on all kinds of gear. There’s also a Hazard House (complete with special effects and interactive devices) that teaches visitors how to get out of a burning building safely.
Cuba! At the Museum of Natural History
Mini-explorers get a thorough lesson on the Caribbean’s largest island at this exhibit that tackles everything from politics to the country’s wildlife to its unique geography. Kids take a trip to the Zapata wetlands (which are home to flamingos and crocodiles) before learning about Cuba’s fish-filled coral reefs and taking a stroll down Cuban Avenue, complete with bright, 1950-era cars.
Piranha Falls at the Adventure Aquarium
Get lost in the Amazon in this new display that features one of the rain forest’s scariest creatures: piranhas. Children learn all about this extreme climate in an interactive exhibit that’s chock-full (we’re talking 120 fish!) of red-bellied piranhas making their way through circuits of waterfalls.
Mythbusters: The Explosive Exhibition at Liberty Science Center
Can you really pull a tablecloth off of a fully set table without disturbing a dish? And does walking through a rainstorm really keep you drier than running through it? The Mythbusters crew use scientific observation and experiments to get to the bottom of all your burning questions. Make sure you check out the backward driving Porsche and airplane entirely made out of duct tape on your way in!
Sea Turtle Sanctuary at the Turtle Back Zoo
This Essex County mainstay got an adorable upgrade earlier this year: a full-on sea turtle rehab center that nurses these little sea creatures back to health before releasing them into the wild. Look on as expert zoologists treat Kemp’s ridley turtles at this brand new state-of-the-art facility that’s the only one of its kind in NJ.
Toy World! At the New Jersey State Museum
Rewind the clock at an annual event that spotlights the Garden State’s little known history of toy-making. Kids get to check out over 100 toys that were made locally between 1800 and the 1960s—aka Jersey’s Golden Era of manufacturing). Some past faves have been dozens of green army men (yes, the ones you played with as a kid!), the first talking doll made by Thomas Edison and tons of old-school colorful playsets.
Weather or Not at the Children’s Museum of the Arts
Your soon-to-be weatherman will love learning all about what causes hurricanes, tornados and tsunamis. Kids get to read up on ancient texts about the weather, learn all about new weather apps and learn the basic principles of climate change.
“Wilderness Camp” at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Soar to new heights at this exhibit that brings the great outdoors inside. Your little one assumes the role of an outdoor explorer going out on an epic adventure and learning all about the world’s natural resources along the way. Visitors can start by hanging out in real-life tents and doing various art projects like macramé (tying colorful string into knots to make artwork), playing with shadow puppets and singing and telling stories around a campfire. Your squad also gets the lowdown on basic survival skills, from learning how to start a fire and to making their own tools.