March 2008

Going Places

Alice's Wonderland

By Taryn Zier

“Curiouser and curiouser!” Alice exclaims as she grows and grows in the Hall of Doors. I found myself saying the same thing at the new Alice’s Wonderland exhibit at The Children’s Museum, Seattle, with its collection of curious activities that delight curious children.

Originally produced by Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, this traveling exhibit encourages children to explore science and math concepts through hands-on games and activities based on Alice’s strange dreamscapes in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. And the kids probably don’t realize they are learning, which is the mark of a crafty children’s program.

To its credit, the exhibit has different layers for different ages. To engage the younger set, Alice’s Wonderland is packed with things to manipulate – buttons, dials, levers, balls and touch-screen computers. Older kids can linger at the stations, delving into the science and math ideas and the nuances of what they are seeing. Parents will appreciate the playing cards titled, “Curious?” at each station that clarify the educational angle of the activity.

Even though the broader theories are going to be lost on most young children – like mine, who are ages 3 ½ and 1 ½ – they still have a great time playing and exploring things like cause and effect or illusion and reality. This is a good thing because almost all of the children in attendance on our Sunday afternoon visit were under the age of 5.

Alice’s Wonderland has various stations, with themes from the book’s most famous episodes, and my kids meandered through, testing them out. Upon entering, we saw a mural of rolling green hills, evocative of where Alice first fell asleep and entered into dreamland, and the White Rabbit beckoned us into the rabbit hole. The hole was, at first, a little too dark for my kids to venture into, but later became a source of fun.

Crawling through the rabbit hole leads to the Underground, a series of activities inspired by Alice’s White Rabbit chase. The highlight here is a globe exhibit that reveals where you would end up if you fell directly through the earth to the opposite side. Walking around the rabbit hole takes you to the Tea Party, where children can smell-test different tea varieties, play with the viscosity of liquids, manipulate time on a “crazy clock” and have a pretend tea party.

As we journeyed through Wonderland, we visited the Croquet Ground which allows children to experiment with force and momentum. In this version of croquet, kids send golf balls down a flamingo head onto a small green platform in order to achieve a hole-in-one. With three basic variations, this game seemed to be a favorite among the kids.

Elsewhere in the exhibit is a chance to grin alongside the Cheshire Cat; fun activities involving mirrors, scale and shadows; and the Hall of Doors where optical illusions render you topsy turvy. There is also a collection of books and portraits on display depicting Alice in her many interpretations (my beloved copy of Alice in Wonderland, passed on to me by my grandmother who received it at age 6, would have been a nice addition). Kids didn’t seem to care, but adults who have a fondness for the story will.

Most of the stations accommodate only a few children at a time, and the kids on our visit worked surprisingly well together taking turns and spreading themselves out. However, the youngest museum-goers tended to congregate at the croquet games and the Hall of Doors, which was a particular favorite of my daughter’s and several other toddlers who loved stomping around and exploring the open space.

In conjunction with the exhibit, live performances are offered each weekend in which costumed actors reenact episodes of the book. This is especially nice for kids who haven’t been introduced to the story yet. The half-hour show runs Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. Be sure to check out the special events of the day as well. During our visit, children ages 3 and older could participate in experimentation with mirrors and kaleidoscopes or enjoy a rainbow tea party.

The concept is a good one: science and math are more fun in the context of Alice in Wonderland. And for that reason, and just plain old curious fun, you won’t want to be late for this very important date.

Taryn Zier is a Seattle writer and mother of two, who is always looking to satisfy her children’s curiosity.

Parent Tip: Scratch Patch – a Wonderful Place for Kids

Seattle’s Child reader Beth Moore writes:

“I found this little gem of a place in our neighborhood in Roosevelt. The whole floor is covered with tumbled gemstones. You actually get into the stones, sit in them, play, identify them and, if you want to, buy some to take home. I have never seen my children have so much fun. My 7-year-old girl did not want to leave.

“The place is called the Scratch Patch. I met the owners while there and they are so nice. I just wanted to pass this along since it is such a unique concept which I have never seen before. They say it is the first in the United States.” (The concept began in South Africa, the home country of owner Amanda Lampert, and spread to Melbourne, Australia and Vancouver, B.C., before coming to Seattle last summer.)

Location: 6507 ½ Roosevelt Way, Seattle

Hours: Monday and Tuesday, noon - 6 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 1- 6 p.m.; Friday, noon - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 4 p.m.

Cost: Free to play in the gemstones. Fill different sized bags to take home for $4, $8 or $15.

Parties: Birthday parties are available at the store or can be brought to outdoor sites

For more information: 206-523-6164; www.scratchpatchusa.com.

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