Look at the astronauts' spacesuits and imagine what it's like to walk on the moon or float in space. Children's and Youth museums encourage youngsters to learn by doing . There, families and their children touch, feel, and handle materials that in other museums might be off-limits. Children's museums invite us to do such things as build a miniature model city or dollhouse, trick our eyes by watching people dance under strobe lights, try to measure our shadow, conduct scientific experiments, work on a computer, play musical instruments, or slide down a firefighter's pole in a real firefighter's suit. Zoos are great places to encourage children's interest in the natural world and to introduce them to animals, their habitats, and how they live.
Aquariums give youngsters a firsthand look at life in our oceans and lakes.
Special Interest museums are devoted to a single topic such as antique cars, baseball, coins, the circus, toys, trolley cars, stamps, the news, or rock and roll. Nature Centers help children learn about local plants and wildlife. Planetariums bring the mysteries of the skies to life. Inside planetariums, children can see the entire night sky in all of its glory. They often use telescopes to view the rings of Saturn, and they can step on scales to learn what they would weigh on the moon or on Mars.