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The new exhibit at Kidseum is a blast!

From Sept. 17, 2017 to Jan. 15, 2018

By Griselda Chin, Macaroni Kid Lakewood-Cerritos-Cypress September 19, 2017

Nearly the entire first floor of the Bowers Kidseum has been transformed into a new, technologically advanced play area that kids ages 2 to 11 will love. We had the pleasure of previewing the four stations of the Future Park: Art + Technology exhibit before it opened to the public and we have never seen anything like it! Here are the highlights from our visit:

The first station past the rainbow bridge, Hopscotch for Geniuses, takes the playground favorite game of hopscotch to a whole new level with an interactive path that responds with sounds and colors as kids hop along the digital “pond.”  Images of various shapes and colors "float" on top of the pond- reinforcing these concepts in preschool children. My toddler enjoyed jumping (or attempting to jump) from shape to shape; it gave his gross motor skills a great workout. The visually stunning, pond-like path comes lined with frogs that jump away as kids step near or one them.


The high-tech magic of Sketchtown can be found past Hopscotch for Geniuses. First, kids color a spaceship, car, truck, building, etc., then scan their masterpiece into a nearby kiosk. Within a few minutes their object (car, spaceship, etc) appears on a floor-to-ceiling projection of a bustling cityscape! Kids love seeing their colorful masterpieces come to life, flying and driving around town. (Hint: scanned objects will appear on the screen from the right side). There’s more! Take the colored drawing and scan it at the Sketchtown: Papercraft kiosk and receive a craft cardboard cutout that will fold into an actual 3D object that your kids can take home with them.

My toddler absolutely loved Light Ball Orchestra (aka hard to get him to leave the room). Found in the Glow Cave of the Kidseum, Light Ball Orchestra contains soft, oversized balls that make music and change color when they move around. Kids will love rolling the balls, picking up the balls, bumping them into each other, etc. as they see them change color and listen to the “music” they are making.

The exhibit impressed everyone in our entire family and uses some near-magical technology to let kids experience art and music in a whole new way. The exhibit is open from Sept. 17, 2017 to Jan. 15, 2018 so don’t miss it! Kidseum admission is $10 for anyone ages 2 and up, including adults. Santa Ana residents are admitted free every Sunday. Parking at the Kidseum is free. 


You could win a Kidseum family 4-pack of tickets! Click here for more information and to fill out entry form.


Disclaimer: The Bowers Kidseum hosted my family for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.