I have been asked a few times if I have made it up to Boonshoft yet. Finally after two years of living in Ohio, I made the trip up with my son. We will definitely be making more trips there! It was very interactive and had many learning opportunities throughout. I found myself not only watching my son, but participating in the activities as well. They hit all of the big areas of early childhood with sensory play, problem solving, fine and gross motor skills, dramatic play, and more!
Boonshoft offers many sensory exploration areas. They have a long water table with a waterfall/wall, a rain cloud, boats and tubes to explore the water with. A “Tunnel of Fury” where you can experience what the winds of a hurricane feel like. They also had an area with trucks where you could dig, push, and bury things in a “sand box” on the floor.
My son enjoyed using his “Spiderman” skills and climbing the large rope play structure to get to the many slides above our heads. I thought for sure once he found the play structure he would want to spend our entire time there, but he was so curious to see what else Boonshoft had to offer.
There were Lego displays, Lego tables to build your own cities with questions such as, “What would you build in a city just for kids?” that expanded his play. He said a city just for kids needs an ice cream shop and a store! There were also animals to see and read about, big foam blocks to build with, a tangram wall, a room to dance and see yourself on a big screen, a wall of tubes you have to manipulate to get the ball from one side to the other, and more!
He really enjoyed the dramatic play areas. He enjoyed pretending to be a vet and care for a “sick” deer. He made sure to check the x-rays and give the deer his medicine. He also enjoyed the Courthouse where they have a spot for a jury and a jail. He practiced his negotiation skills and argued why he shouldn’t go to jail! It was so fun!
When I asked him which part were his favorite, he gave me three answers! He enjoyed the market/store/pizza-making area. He went shopping for his ingredients, purchased them, and then made me a delicious pizza with pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, and anchovies. I told him he could eat the anchovies!
He also told me he really enjoyed the recycling truck. He ran back and forth many times picking up the items that needed to be recycled and sorting them into where they needed to go into the truck. He was very proud to help take care of the earth.
Finally his third favorite thing, which was our last stop, was the space theater. Prior to going in we used our imaginations and put on imaginary space suits. We walked through the Hall of the Universe checking out the sun, stars, moon, and planets before hopping in line for a show in the space theater. The space theater was amazing! We got to see what our night sky looked like, learned about the bigger stars in our solar system, explored Saturn and it’s rings, located constellations, and witnessed a sunset and sunrise. It was an amazing experience!
My son and I truly enjoyed all that Boonshoft had to offer. We will be making another trip up in the near future. They did an excellent job of tying in learning opportunities with great play experiences. Definitely worth checking out if you have never been!
Boonshoft Discovery Museum
2600 DeWeeese Parkway
Dayton, OH 45414
Children (3-16) $10
Adults $13
Seniors $11
Children (under 3) Free
Mom Reporter Tina Pratt is the mom of two littles. She is a former PreK- 5 special education teacher that now works as a behavior coach. She enjoys being a tourist in her own town and finding ways to embed lessons into everyday fun!