Louisiana Children's Museum
story and photos by Kayte Deioma
The great thing about exploring children's museums around the country and around the world is that I get to see how each city puts their own flavor on the play and learn experience. Designed for ages one to eleven, the Louisiana Children's Museum in New Orleans has some universal favorites like the Kids' Café where youngsters can cook up pretend food and serve it to their friends or parents. There's the ever-popular Little Sav-a-Center where kids can shop, run the cash register or stock the shelves. There is also the requisite opportunity to dress up as a fire fighter or police officer and learn about safety issues.
What makes the Louisiana Children's Museum unique to its home town is the Little Port of New Orleans, where little stevedores can use a gantry crane to load and unload cargo from a barge. Captains can pilot a tow boat down the Mississippi. Ship's mates can whip up a pretend meal in a cruise ship galley. An interactive wall map lights up to show the different routes that cargo travels to and from the Port of New Orleans.
Other exhibits include Body Works, addressing physical fitness and how the body works. You can ride a bike with Mr. Bones, a skeleton that pedals along with you and demonstrates how your bones move when you ride. Measure your height in a magic doorway. Climb a rock wall. Test your balance on the balancing board. Lift 500 pounds with a lever, or lift yourself up with a pulley.
Toddlers have their own special First Adventures play area upstairs. Bigger kids can learn about angles playing air hockey, and learn how mass and shape affect speed by throwing different kinds of balls in the Speed Zone.
Traveling exhibits bring additional learning opportunities, as do daily presentations, demonstrations, science workshops and performances in the 225-seat Times-Picayune Theatre.
The Louisiana Children's Museum
420 Julia Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 523-1357
www.lcm.org