We Love Durham NC

Play to Learn II

I finally took the correct child to the new 6-and-under spot at the science museum in Durham, so we got to play.

New things:

- veterinary area with a stuffed horse you can groom, give shots to, or ride on.
- kitchen area with lots of goodies like cloth fried eggs and a sprayer on the sink
- natural-log blocks and kinderkram wooden animals
- book nook with board and picture books, about fairy houses etc.
- textures wall
- rock climbing wall with number and animal “rocks”
- bear cave tunnel
- large infant & toddler area — we could only peek in
- regular block building area
- bench nicely placed for nursing
- books for the adults; I saw “Einstein never used flashcards”

Old things gone:

- swamp mural with stick puppets of fish, butterfly, turtle
- bubbles, and the icky sticky rug under the bubbles
- light table with primary color triangles to overlay
- light table with magnifying glass and nature specimens
- light table with magnets and steel filings
- wacky carnival mirrors
- bubble windows? (I think)
- primary color light stairs? (I think)
- pumps with shampoo, water, and corn syrup… that always leaked
- big bubble pump

Old things remaining:

- high ball drop with the overhead track and zigzag tracks, although one of the towers was made into the book nook
- the ski slope ball drop
- water painting on a chalkboard (this was added when they put the play area in its temporary location)

There is good play to be had in Play to Learn. It was very packed after 10am (members get in the museum at 9am, everyone else after 10am), with at least one playgroup meeting.

Something else: the NCMLS bathrooms smell like cinnamon red hots.

1 Comment to Play to Learn II

1. 

   You noticed that, too! (the cinnamon smell) At first I thought it was the soap, but it isn’t. Hmm.
Aimee on March 14th, 2008

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