Housed in an industrial building that looks ordinary from the outside is the not at all ordinary Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco. The museum has both full-time features and seasonal exhibits that rotate every few months. Parking is free, and the cost is very reasonable at $8 for those 3-64, with discounts for seniors, teachers, and military personnel. Family memberships are also available.
On Saturday February 4th, seven dads from Dallas Dads Group took our kids to spend about two hours at Sci-Tech learning and playing.
It’s a Nano World!
The special feature exhibit on display was “It’s a Nano World!”, a hands-on collection of educational stations to expose kids to small scale science. With a magnification station, a cell sorter activity, and a blood drop ball pit, the microscopic becomes visible. The kids loved seeing the textures and fibers of typical items magnified, and of course the ball pit was a big hit. Other rotating exhibits the museum has had in the recently include one exploring how castles were constructed, and another that taught about the water cycle and the importance of conservation.
Permanent Features:
The permanent features include several building exhibits, large bubble trays, and some wooden ramps with golf balls. This area held our kids attention well, and gave them a chance be active together. Our group particularly loved the large blue foam blocks. “We’re the master builders!” exclaimed Larry, age 7, as he and several other of the kids worked together to build a fort.
Sci-Tech at a glance: Why we like it:
1. Location. Sci-Tech is just off the Dallas North Tollway at the Cotton Gin Rd/Main street exit. There’s no downtown Dallas traffic to beat, and parking is easy and free.
2. Not too big, not too small. The museum is all on one floor with three main sections. Our kids were able to move around freely without worry. Our group spent about two hours there, which seemed just right for the ages of the kids we had.
3. There’s something for everyone. The youngest kids in our group were too young to take in the scientific lessons that went along with the exhibits, but they were still able to play and have fun. The older kids in our group got to learn while they played.
4. The mix of temporary and permanent features works well. The rotating exhibits keep it fresh and give kids something new to check out, while the permanent ones give them some predictable things they can expect every time.
5. We didn’t utilize these on our visit, but the facility offers spring break camps, birthday parties, preschool story times, and sometimes has a staff member leading science and art activities.
Note: Members of Dallas Dads Group received complimentary admission to the Sci-Tech Discovery center on February 4th, 2017. The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and members of the group who expressed their thoughts.
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