Exploratorium! Perhaps the Best Museum on Earth!

Several weeks ago we headed to arguably the best museum in San Francisco, if not the world: the miraculous Exploratorium.

For those who have never been, it's a bit hard to explain.  Imagine that warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Arc filled not with crates, but with rows upon rows of interactive, home-grown experiments exploring the world around us, the world of science.

As a kid, I couldn't get enough of it and since arriving in SF I'd been contemplating when would be the best time to take my little girl.  I wanted her to love it just like me.  So, several weekends ago, despite the risk that she might be a bit young and the hands-on world of science might be a bit much, we bit the bullet and headed out for a bit of experimental mischief.

Mimi loved it.  Loved it.  She was just old enough to toddle through the exhibits and just wise enough to know when something out of the ordinary, surprising, or perplexing was happening.  Many of the exhibits were old favorites, too, which made it even better for Mimi's Papa to share them with her.  

We marveled at the rope that shot gracefully into the air like a stream of water...

 ...and wondered just how you could make a tiny tornado in a box. 

We played with magnets and washers...

...and found the scaled chair that was just right for each of us.  

 Mimi even took some time out to play some tunes. 

Of course, Mimi had her favorite exhibits.  As any parent of a toddler could guess, the bubbles were one of them.

But there were some surprises.  Amidst all the mind-blowing marvels, Mimi was entranced by a pair of big-headed goldfish.  15 minutes went by before we were finally able to pry her away.  

The exhibit that surprised her most, though, was one of my favorites when I was a kid.  In the picture below you'll see Mimi and Sumie sitting in a blue, concave shell.  I'm sitting in a similar one on the other side of the Exploratorium, taking the picture.  The shells focus sound so well that you can have a conversation at normal speaking levels all the way across the building.  

Mimi wasn't quite sure what to make of it until she heard her Papa, who was miles away, talking to her as if he were right there.  She squealed.  She giggled.  She said, "Hey!  Papa!"  She knew what was happening shouldn't be happening and it fascinated her.  That's the first step to loving science, I think.

We eventually made our way out of the museum and finished up our day with a stroll around the Palace of Fine Arts grounds.  

Mimi had a wonderful time out at the Exploratorium.  And her Papa?  Well, he made sure they'll be back.  He couldn't help but get a membership.