Lego City

Ohio History

The Western Front

Did you ever wonder what a town would look like that was built entirely of Legos? Take a look at these pictures! We saw half a dozen of these amazing miniature Lego dioramas. The one above is a western fort encircled by a little train (I don't think it was running though!). What other buildings can you see? Below is a carnival scene--I think that ferris wheel is so cute! Please don't ask me exactly why that boat is in the harbor . . . The other scene I liked was a tiny medieval-style castle.

But there was plenty for little hands to do as well as see! In nearby Lego Land, bins filled with thousands of Lego blocks invited young hands to experiment, build, and try new ideas. I had never seen so many Legos before at one time. It was a really neat idea!

Can you spot the flower bed that spells LEGO?

 

Discover the Animals

Ohio History

Here Kitty-Kitty-Kitty

 Another must-see at Boonshoft is the completely-indoor Discovery Zoo. Over one hundred animals and insects call it home--from otters and porcupines to ducks and turtles. Above is the little bobcat, named Madison according to the website. He looked a little lonely in his big pen! The meerkats were also curious little creatures, looking like a cross between a prairie dog and a groundhog. They scampered back and forth in their rocky pen, cocked their little heads at us, and chewed on carrots in their food bowl.

The Beiser Discovery Center is another place to spot animals, namely, Rajeev, a 16-foot-long Burmese python! I can't say we spent long in that room! Finally, at the Tidal Pool, children can touch starfish and seashells on a simulated sandy beach shoreline. There were some beautiful specimens in that exhibit. It really felt like an indoor zoo!

Crystal Rocks

Ohio History

An Unusual Specimen

What does this unique object look like? I know I immediately think of a ham hock. If you tried to eat it, however, you would be biting into agate rock! This is just one of the beautiful rocks on display on the second-floor exhibit of Boonshoft Museum. Below is a piece of gypsum, which is covered in large white crystal. I got a really sharp picture, didn't I? That's not easy in museums!

Frosty Icicles?

In the next room was the Splash! exhibit. It explained everything you could want to know about our water cycles, waste management, and water usage, as well as detailed information about Montgomery County's water systems. Of course, the best part was posing behind large cut-outs and becoming a plumber, scientist, or engineer!

Season Murals

Ohio History

Autumn Forest

Experience the seasons as you stroll through a hallway painted with life-size scenes from nature. These colorful murals really caught my eye--they looked so real! Amid the scenes from spring, summer, fall, and winter, we could spot busy animals and birds hidden in the paintings. It reminded me of the Maysville Murals we saw painted on floodwalls in Kentucky--only these were indoors.

Winter Mural & Doors to Treehouse

We then followed the hallway through these doors, and entered the Mead Treehouse. In this fully enclosed, indoor enclosure, it really felt like we were in the treetops! Looking out past the treehouse's beautiful woodworking, we could watch birds dart in and out of the trees to the birdfeeders. It was a very peaceful spot; I would love to come in the winter and watch for birds on the ice-covered branches!

Rosetta Stone

Ohio History



The Famous Stone

The African Room was filled with all kinds of interesting artifacts to look at. Intricate carvings, traditional clothing, pottery, jewelry, and even a mummy filled the shelves. There was also a replica of the Rosetta Stone framed on the wall, large enough to read its script (if you knew the languages). The Rosetta Stone displays passages written in three different languages: Greek, demotic, and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Because all three languages say the same thing, scholars were able to crack the code of the long-lost hieroglyphic language. It was amazing to think how someone etched all those intricate letters into the stone...a bit different than typing on a computer keyboard!

Artifacts & More

Ohio History

Egyptian Geese

The next area we entered transported us to a land halfway around the globe: the Sonoran Desert. A massive turtle shell, life-size cacti, and replicates of desert animals filled the sand-covered floor of the desert. Displays explained the difference between day-time and night-time temperatures and creatures in the desert. And the setting was perfect for the exhibit in the very next room, which was full of African and Egyptian artifacts. The wall hanging above was one of my favorites, very typical of old Egyptian art.

Glowing Rocks

Ohio History

Glow-in-the-Dark Exhibit

This was such a neat geology exhibit, I just had to include it. This display looked like ordinary rocks, until you flipped a switch and they came alive with color! From deep blue to electric green, red, and royal purple, these rocks shimmered with light. They slowly became more intense, then faded away. Scientifically, it was a special ultraviolet light that caused certain metals in the rocks to begin emitting light. We had never seen anything like it before!

360-Earth

Ohio History

The Floating Sphere

A 68-inch diameter globe, suspended in mid-air, transported us to every place on earth in Boonshoft's "Science-on-a-Sphere" exhibit. The white ball showed projections of population, weather, industry, and geography in turn as it rotated like the earth. At the same time, a narrator explained interesting facts about each topic we were viewing. With the rest of the room darkened, it really felt like we were looking down on Earth from a spaceship!

Water Wheels

Ohio History

Water Works

There was plenty to do in the science center of Boonshoft Discovery Museum. Our favorite was the water table. Water flowed through a winding channel into a lake created by a miniature canal lock. There were plenty of floating and non-floating items to experiment with. In addition, a user-operated pump put all the waterwheels into spinning motion with a cascade of water. Below is a picture of the wheels from above.

Water Table from Above

The science lab had lots of other curiosities too. The Bernoulli Blower held a ball suspended in mid-air above a blowing stream of air. Gravitron explored gravity by dropping a ball through a series of connectible tubes. The Color Wall was also intriguing. Color projected against a wall created amazing shapes out of the figures of whoever stood in front of it!

Boonshoft Museum

Ohio History

Hall of the Universe

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery isn't just one of those regular museum experiences: stand and look at the displays, read the signs, and move on. Instead, it's a hands-on experience geared specifically toward children, helping them to explore the world and the universe, experiment with scientific principles, and have educational fun. But Boonshoft isn't just for children. There are plenty of things for grown-ups to observe and learn too! That's why it's such a popular destination for families in the suburbs of Dayton, which is where the museum is located. Even though it was almost an hour's drive for us, we went to check out Boonshoft last summer, and had a lot of fun!

In the Hall of the Universe, it felt like we had stepped into a giant solar system. There were stars all over the walls and glowing planets mounted on eye-level stands. The planets were actually animated projections cast onto white balls, so we could see swirling clouds on the earth and the sandstorm on Jupiter's surface! As a note, I combined both pictures above; the planets were actually in the correct order as we explored the cosmic hall.