Exploratorium - WOW!

Ever since Jasper went to the Exploratorium on one of our trips to San Francisco last year (I was too young to go then), he's been telling me about it. So on this San Francisco trip, I asked Daddy to take me so I could see what all the hoopla was about, and all I can say is W-O-W!!! I loved it every bit as much as Jasper did then, if not more!

Daddy and I actually got to the Exploratorium a little early, before it actually opened, but since it's located right next door to the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, we decided to go for a quick walk to check that out. It was actually a very impressive building...

 

And the grounds allowed me an opportunity to work off some excited energy before we went into the Exploratorium.

 

But after a while I got impatient. Daddy - is the Exploratorium opened yet? 

 

Luckily, yes it was. And not only that, but our family membership to the New York Transit Museum granted us free entry, saving Daddy the $15 admission fee, and thus making the trip a success no matter what happened from then on.

Even more luckily, though, things only got better from that point on, because I just couldn't get enough of all the different science exhibits on display, and wanted to try each and every one of them...

It was hard to decide which was my favorite one, but it came down to two. First, it was "Fading Motion" - "a swinging pendulum pours sand from its “bob” onto a variable-speed conveyer belt which moves in a direction perpendicular to the swing of the pendulum. The sand forms a wavy pattern on the belt which exponentially diminishes in amplitude due to a damping mechanism consisting of a paddle moving through thick oil." I loved this one because I was able to do the whole experiment by myself - scooping up the sand...

Carefully carrying it over to the pendulum...

 

Filling the pendulum...

And then watching the neat patterns form...

 But I think that the winner had to be this - the "Balancing Ball" exhibit!

Here, you got to balance a variety of balls, including a beach ball, a football, a wiffle ball on top of a a streaming jet of air. The exhibit, among other things, demonstrated one of the forces that give airplanes their lift. Which is all good and well, but as soon as I discovered, there was just one problem...

 Eventually, I did get my hands on that floating ball again, only to release it into the air stream again and again, until Daddy finally had to pull me away because it was time to go home for lunch. But not before we had a chance to take a final "self portrait."

That was so much fun! When do I get to visit the Exploratorium and Palace of Fine Arts again?!