Happy International Museum Day! When poor AQI or brutal summer heatwaves strike, I love an afternoon nerding out in an air-conditioned palace of knowledge. But when it comes to kids, not all museums are created equal. Dusty velvet ropes, glass partitions, and signs screaming “Don’t touch!” aren’t ideal. You need to find a topic that sparks their imaginations and an exhibit that is curated to allow physical interaction. So here are my three best bets for kid-friendly museum excursions in Beijing.
Paleozoological Museum of China: If your kid loves big animals in general and dinosaurs specifically, this is the place for them. Institutions ranging from the Smithsonian to National Geographic and the BBC are hailing Hubei Province as the next frontier in paleontology following the discovery of thousands of fossils there in 2007. The scientific community has been carefully excavating and has found some truly amazing fossils including very rare “soft-bodied” imprints of species like jellyfish. One-third of the identified fossils in China are currently on display at the museum. In addition to smaller fossils, the museum boasts several full skeletons of mammoths and even a whale! The website is completely in Mandarin and there are very few English captions on displays, but let’s be real… the kids just want to see the cool dino skulls!
Hours: Tues-Sun, 9am-4.30pm
China Science and Technology Museum: For the little astronaut, and by far the hottest ticket this summer for educational fun. Since China put its first robotic lunar rover on the moon in 2013 the space program has been growing at an …astronomical rate. Likewise, the country’s first permanent fully functioning space station is expected to be completed by 2022. The Science and Technology Museum is honoring those accomplishments with an exhibit that opened in March. Visitors can become an astronaut for the day and experience such unique activities as seeing how people sleep, eat, work, and train in space. Located inside Olympic Village this state-of-the-art facility will provide hours of hands-on entertainment for the entire family. You can purchase tickets on the website (English and Mandarin available).
Hours: Tues-Sun 9am-4.30pm
Old Summer Palace: Okay, it’s not technically a museum. But one of the amazing things about China is that its 5,000-year history is alive and well in its public spaces. Not only are there opportunities to learn about the country they are living in, but the kids also get some fresh air while exploring the Emperor’s maze and the peony gardens. I suggest putting together a cool scavenger hunt to help focus the experience and give them some child-friendly history and exercise…Stay tuned for our scavenger hunt list later this week!
Hours: Daily, 7am-5pm
http://www.yuanmingyuanpark.cn/
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