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As we’ve talked about on this blog before, the Minnesota Children’s museum in downtown St. Paul is one of our absolute favorite places. So when we heard there was a new exhibit coming that was WIzard of Oz-themed, we were psyched. We went to check it out on opening day.

The exhibit follows the format of all other Children’s Museum exhibits - hands on activities that help kids understand how something works. In the case of the Wizard of Oz, it was a mix of activities about the story itself and the making of the movie.

There are a few different sections in the room based on different parts of the story. On the left as you go in is the Emerald City, which has a couple really cool things - a “horse of different color” activities involving light-mixing and (Dominic’s favorite) a thing that makes your voice sound like the Wizard of Oz.

At the center of the room is the yellow brick road, and series of soft blocks that let you build a rainbow. Nearby is Dorothy’s house, which lets you control a spinning tornado in the window with a crank.

One of the coolest things I saw was a replica of Mrs. Gulch’s bicycle that drove a kind of zoetrope thing using mirrors. When you pedal the bike, a spinning set of mirrors makes a simple animation of Mrs. Gulch transforming into the Witch. I had Dominic take it for a spin so I could get it on video.

Dominic on the Zoetrope Bike. from 651 Family on Vimeo.

The Children’s Museum has always been good at the “exit through the gift shop” thing, so there is a huge amount of Oz-themed swag in the store. Like the exhibit itself, some of it is movie-themed, and some is book-theme. The exhibit is really fun and we spent about 30 mins in there, which is a lot when the rest of the museum is calling. I think it’s well worth checking out, with the usual Children’s Museum rules: bring hand sanitizer and don’t go on Free Sunday unless you *really* wanna save the money.

We are back again with your 65FUN pic of the week!

The first person to e-mail stacy@capcitypartnership.com the correct answer, wins a $25 gift card to Macaroni Grill at Rosedale Center!

Where are we?

Rooftop ArtPark at Minnesota Children's Museum

While most Holidays are family-oriented by nature, New Years is kind of a problem for us. When I think of New Years Eve I mostly think of 3 things: formal attire, champagne toasts and a kiss at midnight. All of which more-or-less eliminate participation by children. And it’s further complicated by the fact that the grown-ups really, really want to go do those things by themselves anyway.

So we’ve always been at a loss for how to make New Years Eve at all relevant to our kids. Turns out 3 of our favorite St. Paul family institutions have their own solutions.

At the Ordway is Belle’s New Years Eve Ball - an event that piggybacks on the final weekend of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the theater. After the 2:00 matinee, families can join the cast of the show for a New Years-themed afterparty that includes music by Radio Disney, activities, food and an apple cider toast to the New Year at 6:00 PM (It’s midnight somewhere, right?). A few reasons why this seems like a good idea: First, its the last weekend of the show so if you haven’t seen it, now is the time. Second, It’s only $5 per person above the cost of the ticket. Call the Ordway Box Office at 651.224.4222 for  info.

Down the street, the Minnesota Children’s Museum hosts Sparkle-Rama, where kids are encouraged to get in the spirit by wearing their sparkliest clothes. Our kids aren’t really the sparkly-clothes type, but the event sounds awesome no matter what you wear. As with the Ordway event, there are hands-on craft activities and such, but one major difference is live music from children’s band Will Hale and the Tadpole Parade. The New Years countdown at this one is at 8PM, still early enough for the parents to celebrate on their own later. Call 651.225.6035 for more info.

If either of those are too late for you, Como Park Zoo has the cleverly named Noon Years Eve which takes place from 10AM to 1PM, with a “beach ball drop” to celebrate the New Year at noon. Kids can make hats and horns, take part in a scavenger hunt and dance to tunes provided by the Radio Disney Party Patrol (who presumably dash over to the Ordway afterwards for their party?). More info on the Como Park website.

Who knew that a floppy eared cartoon dog could cause so much mayhem?  Minutes after the Minnesota Children’s Museum opened, the wonderful “Clifford the Big Red Dog” exhibit was overrun with amped up kids and their parents.  Families swirled around every candy colored display, enjoying the lovable antics of Clifford and his best friends T-Bone (the bulldog) and Cleo (the poodle).  That other dog Mack was there as well, but he’s a snot if you ask me.  As the morning worn on, the feel-good vibes of Birdwell Island slowly disappeared as bus loads of children descended into the exhibit room.  Although the exhibit itself was phenomenal, I visited the museum on a Saturday.  This is to say, it was berserk.  The exhibit felt a little like being inside the  Thunderdome.  My son and I stood next to Clifford’s huge dog bowl and patiently waited our turn to fill it with oversized foam dog bones: We were quickly overrun.  I knew it was time to exit the Clifford room when my son sheepishly asked, “Why is that boy wrestling T-Bone?”  I looked over and watched a young boy climb onto the display table, straddle the face of a cuddly T-Bone statue, and enthusiastically ram his finger in the figure’s eye socket.

Murphy and I walked out of the Clifford room and ran the gauntlet down the packed hallway.  We dodged several gaggles of children and found our way to the imaginary city exhibits.  Which remarkably mirrored the real world:  the pretend grocery store had tons of food products, but nothing was priced and the cashier (albeit an eight year old in pigtails) seemed blatantly annoyed with me; the fake MTC bus smelled just like the real thing with its mix of ripe aromas (courtesy of adolescent b.o. and some stinky diapers); four boys in hard hats stood back and watched one solo boy labor and load foam cubes into a box and it resembled a real city crew; and the children hysterically singing in front of the blue screen in the music room were just as insane as the ridiculous behavior seen on the opening weeks of American Idol.
Through all the chaos, we found solace in the roof top garden.  Once outside, we found an oasis of plants, sand, and sticks.  A lot of sticks.  There was an entire tower made of wood that Murphy climbed through like a ring-tailed lemur.  He climbed and climbed and quickly made friends with a cluster of kids that were stuck in the middle of the tower.  He was completely spent when he wiggled back out ten minutes later.  In all the hectic fun that summer can bring, sometimes it’s nice to grab a little slice of shade.  Inside the art room in the corner of the roof top, we drowned out the chaos.  We let our sun burns heal and the frantic rush in our minds melt away.  We sat there, doodled with some water colors, and enjoyed the only quiet place in the whole Thunderdome… I mean Minnesota Children’s Museum.