Marbles Museum Offers Learning Through Play

My 3 year old daughter and I recently took a day trip to Raleigh and visited Marbles Kids Museum located in the downtown area.

The museum was not difficult to find.  There is also a parking garage adjacent to the museum so there is no need to waste time driving around looking for a close parking space. Parking in the deck costs $2 per hour so make sure you include this in your budget if you plan to visit Marbles Museum.

Upon entering the museum, we checked in at the front desk quickly even though there were many large groups there. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults and $5 for children between the ages of one and eleven. The price is really a bargain considering the numerous activities available.

The first area we explored was the Around Town exhibit. This kid-sized version of the community allows children the opportunity to experience how people work, live and play together. My daughter drove a city bus, fought an imaginary fire, saved a patient as an EMT worker in a miniature ambulance and checked out some X-rays at the mini clinic. Then, she discovered the pet vet area which housed a variety of stuffed pets and included realistic tools and equipment to care for the animals. She spent about 30 minutes taking care of the pets before heading to another section of the exhibit.

Food is the name of the game in the farm, market, kitchen and restaurant. My daughter enjoyed harvesting her own fruits and vegetables and bringing them to the Farmer’s Market area. Then, she shopped at the mini grocery store before heading to the kitchen to cook. She made a meal in the kitchen, which was full of other children, and then served me “lunch”. When we were finished she cleaned the dishes and was ready for a new adventure.

The Splash exhibit was a big hit with my daughter who loves to play in the water. This area houses water troughs for kids to play in with many toys. I was pleased that large smocks were available for children to wear to keep their clothes dry. This water play continues when you step outside into a courtyard with more water features. Other highlights of the Splash area include a science submarine, a replica of a pirate ship and Castaway Cove Kids Garden.

I was surprised to learn that the exhibits downstairs were just the beginning. There were many more exciting exhibits awaiting us on the second floor so we headed upstairs. A giant piggy bank suspended from the ceiling greeted us when we reached the top of the stairs. We entered the exhibit called Moneypalooza, a colorful world of money. The objective of this exhibit is to help children learn how to earn, spend and save money through a variety of interactive stations. My daughter enjoyed “earning money” by being a pet sitter and a pizza delivery girl.

After a quick stop at the art loft to create a picture with water color pencils, we moved along to the Power 2 Play exhibit,which does a great job of promoting a healthy lifestyle by introducing children to a variety of different sports and healthy eating choices. My daughter danced her way through the Tumble and Twirl Studio and then made her way to Center Court where she was able to shoot and dunk into a variety of kid-sized hoops. I enjoyed watching kids in their socks play a version of ice hockey at the Center Ice station. We wrapped up our time in this exhibit at the Healthy Kitchen area where my daughter made a pretend smoothie with yogurt and strawberries.

Two hours had passed and it was time for us to head out to our next Raleigh destination. Unfortunately, we missed out on the exhibit called Idea Works which allows kids to invent and build with a variety of materials.

We will definitely return to Marbles Museum and spend more time. I would highly recommend a visit to this museum for anyone with a child age 2 through 8. The hands-on activities foster creativity and learning in a very unique way.

Marbles Museum also has an IMAX theater on site.

For more information about Marbles Museum, please visit http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/