Chicago, Day 3

Day 3 of our trip was spent at the Museum of Science and Industry. Going there is always a special treat for me because I have so many memories of going there as a kid. Unfortunately they no longer have the giant walk-though heart. It always freaked me out as a kid. A portion of the museum is under renovation and once it's done I'm sure it'll be great. But evidently the heart was one of the things to go. But they still have some of the circus stuff - like the scenes that have moving parts, a ring leader and music. They still have the cut out circles in the wall and you stick your head in and you're looking at yourself in a mirror as the strong man or the man holding the snakes. They do not have the ones that shined the colored lights on your face and made you look like a clown anymore. Those were probably a fire or burn hazzard or something!

Added to this area is the bubble shadow garden. Your shadows manipulate how the computer bubbles move. The kids could have stayed and played there for hours.

Also in this area are colored lights on the floor that make piano sounds when you move across them:

Airplanes:

Looking down on the model trains - been around since I was a kid:Farm Area:My personal favorite, the miniature fairy castle. I got to look for a whole 30 seconds before all the boys were on to the next thing. Those 30 seconds were the best part of my day, but it was a far cry from the hour we spent in the submarine exhibit. (Which by the way I didn't get any pictures of, but you can check it out here.) I will grudgingly admit that the sub exhibit was actually pretty cool, they've totally redone that area since we'd last seen it and it's more of an experience than before. They make it very dramatic.

Something new we hadn't seen before was the "Swiss Jolly Ball" made by a jeweler and inventor to promote Swiss Tourism, it holds the Guiness Book of World Record for the world's largest pin ball machine or "flipper." It sets off really cool chain reaction events and highlights the major tourist attractions of Switzerland.

Sam and Dad being astronauts:

Another oldie but good is the chick hatchery. Will was especially intrigued by the eggs that were about ready to hatch. We had to go back and check on one particular egg before we left for the day because it had some movement inside of it and Will was sure the bird was going to pop out any minute. When I read to him that it can take up to 10 hours, he disappointedly decided it was ok to leave.Good pointing:Max found a place to play for non-walkers only:If you ask the boys, they'll tell you that the Toymaker 3000 exhibit was their favorite part of the Museum of Science and Industry. The first part takes you through being a business owner. It's hard to see, but that's Will's face projected on the mannequin.Climbing the "Ladder of Success."For $5, you can watch your toy top being made - from gathering the toy parts, to assembling them, to packaging them - start to finish - by robots in a completely automated factory. You get to choose what color you want and a laser engraves your name into the plastic.

Very proud Gravitron owners: