Credit: Carissa Joy
One of my favorite memories from my childhood was the first time I visited the Los Angeles Children’s Museum in Downtown LA. I can still remember how much fun I had and how I didn’t want to leave at the end of the day. Now as an adult and a mom, I love being able to watch my kiddos have a great time at our local children’s museums. Our contributor Carissa had the opportunity to take her daughter to The New Children’s Museum in San Diego and shares all about it.
This past weekend we were in San Diego for a race I was running and we wanted to find something fun to do as a family. We noticed this museum was within walking distance of the race expo so we decided to check it out. What a fun discovery we made in this new museum!
Credit: Carissa Joy
From the moment you walk in the door you are surrounded by interactive exhibits and displays of art and are encouraged to explore it all! Admission is $10 and you can come and go as many times as you’d like throughout the day. Along with admission you get a list of local restaurants that partner with the museum, offering discounts on dining and quick seating.
Credit: Carissa Joy
The museums focus is on trash right now. Many of the exhibits are all about recycling and making use of waste in creative ways. While we were there we made trash monsters out of recyclable objects, painted an old car and tires from top to bottom, created clay creatures, drew chalk murals all over the walls, built towers and houses with blocks, sat inside “monsters”, climbed climbing walls, played in a rain shelter, played with magnets, climbed a playground made with tires and a recycled dumpsters, listened to music and stories in side a complex made of water bottles, and so much more! Everywhere we turned there was something new to do and a new area to explore.
Credit: Carissa Joy
At the entrance to each area/exhibit there are notecards for parents, labeled with different age groups. For each age-group there was a guide for questions to ask, things to do, and ways to discover and explore in that particular area. Loved that! There’s a big lunch area on the mail floor where many families sat and had their lunches that they brought from home. Just outside the museum, across the parking lot is an enclosed children’s playground. There are swings, obstacles to climb, and a few other interactive activities. It seems to me that inside and out, there was plenty to do for all ages!
It seems as though the exhibits may change periodically and new features are constantly being added. We can’t wait to go back again and see what else we can find!
To learn more about the New Children’s Museum in Downtown San Diego head here.
Carissa is a blessed Mommy of a pretty amazing 2 1/2 year old. She works part-time as a Child Life Specialist in the Pediatric Emergency Department at a local children’s hospital. She is excited to share with you some great places she has found and hopefully help provide some really fun family days for you and your little (and big) ones!
