Oh Wow

Yesterday the rain ruined Nona and Papa's plans, so Kate and I had to pitch in and help entertain them. You know, they can't just sit around and do nothing! So they took us out for lunch and to the new hands-on science museum in Youngstown called Oh Wow. It's a fantastic place; not very large, but every single thing is something a kid can do and enjoy (not to mention the adults who had a pretty good time too.)

They have a great water table with water pouring down two ways, one with sand to show kids about erosion and one with movable plates for kids to make dams and tons of things to float down.







We also enjoyed the rhythm machine. The percussion instruments are up on the wall, and you can control each one from a touch screen in front of you. We got a good dance beat going.












We built a catenary arch, although we didn't follow the rules because the directions didn't seem to work, it did stand up long enough for a picture.










Then there was the ball pipes, a set of vacuum tubes which you could shoot plastic balls and handkerchiefs through. We could have stayed there all day. There were a few tubes shooting air straight up, and you could balance a ball there if you were careful.






They have a full size plane, cockpit you can sit in, and a paper airplane launcher. Our last stop was the laser guitar, which played a note when you interrupted the lasers with your hand.

If you've got a youngster, you should definitely go, and plan to stay awhile. If you don't have a kid, find one you can borrow so you can have and excuse to go and play too.





Garden Update:
Before we hit the museum we re-potted some tomatoes and spinach. Planted nasturtiums, spinach, oregano, basil, chives and parsley in pots. Outside, the rain continues, so this stuff may have to continue growing in my dining room all summer.