Science World - Vancouver
by Nathan
Activity:
I knew this place was going to be good, even before I went inside. They have a gigantic ball maze machine sitting outside the front doors. You can watch the balls go down corridors, round curves and make big drops, setting off one chain reaction after another, until they finally hit the bottom. I could have watched for an hour, but Mom said we had to go inside.I'm glad she did. There's so
many neat
things to see and do at Science World I think I could spend a whole
week
there. Almost everything in there is hands on. You
make things happen.
Jen and I got stuck on the very
first exhibit we saw: the reaction time wheel. She'd beat
me, then I'd have to beat her. We got so carried away, we didn't
notice the big line-up of kids waiting. Mom put a quick end to
our game when she found out what was happening. We managed to
continue our competition on the wheelchair racing machine. I
could taste the victory. I'm a lot bigger than Jen, plus I'm
three years older than her. I don't know how Jen did it, but she
beat me. I never heard the end of that.
Mom wanted us to try the brain
test. We put on black headbands and sat across from each
other. Our mission was to make a steel ball roll towards the
other person, by using our brain. It works through relaxation.
The more relaxed you are, the better chance you have of
winning. I'll never forget the girl with the clenched
fists. She didn't last long.
And then there was the camera that
showed you what you'd look like in the future. I asked Mom to try
it, but she said her face was scary enough already.
Upstairs is another level of cool stuff: a room with drawers you pull out to see weird things; a pulley with (believe it or not) a hippo on the end of it; a canon shooting pockets of air onto a metallic sheet; a long tube where you shot parachutes through and watched them float to the ground. There was plenty more, but I don't want to spoil all the surprises.
Science World also has a special exhibit, which changes every three months. Some of the ones I've seen are Mazes, Lego Masterpieces, Special Effects in Movies, and Bugs. The latest one was called "Scream." Jen was pre-occupied with the black box. It was like a closet you stepped into and screamed as loud as you could. I wasn't surprised when she topped the highest score. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she had the loudest scream in history.
Science World also has a big theatre with movies that reach out to you and seem real. It's called the Omnimax. I've never been, but I think it's like the CN Imax Theatre at Canada Place. You can also have birthday parties at Science World. My cousin did and we got to look behind the walls to see how everything works.
Age group:
All agesExpense rating:
Last time we went it cost us $65 for the family rate (up to six people). For current admission rates go to www.scienceworld.ca
:
The best part about Science World is that it makes learning fun.
You can make things happen, see how things work, and wonder "what
if?".
If I ever have any questions Mom or Dad can't answer, there's always an
assistant close by to help us.
:
Once we went on a rainy day and all the parking lots were full.
We
ended up parking on the street. By the time we walked to Science
World my runners were soaked and all the gel came out of Dad's
hair.
Details:
Science World, 1455 Quebec St., Vancouver. For information call (604) 268-6363. Website: www.scienceworld.ca Close to BC Place stadium, Rogers Arena, and Chinatown.Area:
VancouverSeason:
All seasonsEducational highlights:
When I grow up I want to be a scientist. Mom says it's important to find a job you like--and I LOVE Science. Maybe if I never went to Science World, I would never have found out how much fun science is.Fun for the adult?:
I know my parents like Science World. Dad says he gets a kick out of seeing the light bulb go off in my head. I think he means when I figure something out. Mom just wishes the light bulbs would go off while I'm doing my homework too.
