Columbia Memorial Space Center

In March, The boys and I visited the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey for the first time (http://www.columbiaspacescience.org/). Our friend Jill organized the field trip, and we are glad she did. It is a "hands-on learning center that is dedicated to bringing the excitement of space science to children of all ages." It was a really cool place and all the kids had a great time.

First, we started with a movie about traveling to the moon, which was very well done. Then, we checked out the exhibits. Exhibit highlights included: the rocket launcher, parachute landing, airplane design and launching, dressing like an astronaut, making a solar system, and the gravity scale.

Bode and the Rocket Launcher

Ian loved the paper airplane design center.

Astronaut Bode

Astronaut Cole

Astronaut Ian

The boys' favorite part was the Robotics Lab. They could have stayed in there the whole time. They programmed their Lego robots with commands to move on a table to collect objects in different spots. Each time it didn't work, they had to make adjustments to their commands in order to succeed. They were all successful. There were other robots to test out as well. The poor guys didn't want to leave.

It was a great trip. The next thing to do is find a robotics class for Ian, and possibly Cole, so they can finish the explorations they started.