Pacific Science Center

The Pacific Science Center offers a variety of options for kids to enjoy.  They currently have six exhibits to explore.  They range from the exhibits about the body to animals (called naked mole rats!) to a tropical butterfly house.  Or, you could catch a show at the IMAX Theater, laser dome or planetarium. It’s exciting to be able to zoom across the galaxy with the push of a button.  You can even catch a live science show.

The Science Center holds many types of educational opportunities for teachers, kids and families.  They include everything from camps to science on wheels to environmental education.  Teachers can find “programs that provide financial support, professional development and technical assistance to individual classroom educators, building administrators, schools, school districts and to consortia’s of school districts, called LASER Alliances.”

One thing not to miss, on a visit to the science center, is the dinosaur exhibit.  In it, you will travel back in time to the Mesozoic Era.  You will find seven animatronic dinosaurs in a lifelike environment.  Children’s eyes get wide as they come face to face with the T. Rex and Allosaurus.  They may want to touch a real fossil or feel the size of a dinosaur’s foot compared to their hand.

The Pacific Science Center’s mission is to “inspire a lifelong interest in science, math and technology by engaging diverse communities through interactive and innovative exhibits and programs.”

So far, it seems like they are succeeding.  More than 1.3 million visitors come to see the center that was created during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.  The non-profit began as the United States Science Pavilion for the fair.  It later became the first U.S. museum dedicated as a science and technology center.