Make Your Vacation a Science Project Vacation!

A lot of folks like to travel over the Winter break, and a lot of parents are getting nervous because their kids have not yet decided on a science fair project. Well, as I said before, it is best to let your children discover their project, but there are some creative ways of giving them a nudge in the right direction. Why not work a science museum visit into the vacation agenda? Usually, your child will come up with at least one good ideat!

Last year, we went to Southern California for our Christmas Vacation. While we were there, we mad time to visit two great science museums; the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits and the Discovery Science Center in Orange County. The concept of large beasts mired in goo was irresistible to one child, so with a quick visit to the gift shop, we had the makings of a great diorama of a mammoth, stuck in tar, attacked by saber-toothed cats (which, we learned, were not really tigers -- Hmm). The Discovery Science Center had a exhibit on viscosity, which let us expand on this theme, and a cool presentation on taste and smell, which gave us a back-up project.

OK, so not everyone is going to Southern California. If you are traveling at all, check out to see if there is a science museum where you are going.

Does anyone have any "science on vacation" stories or tips on where to go?