There are few things more amazing than seeing a child’s eyes and mind light up with wonderment and excitement. The Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) in Troy is a hands-on active play center that gives children the experience of seeing science come to life. CMOST is filled with exhibits that engage kids of all ages, from the toddler to the tween and beyond. Here, visitors are encouraged to touch, explore and ask questions.
Boasting the area’s first aquarium, CMOST’s Living Indoor Hudson River gives young explorers an up-close look at the natural wildlife living below the surface of the Hudson. Swimming turtles, fish and eels provide a glimpse into how the wildlife changes in the river as fresh water from the north meets the ocean water from the south.
Visitors will be greeted by native land animals like Otis the screech owl, rabbits, snakes and frogs. Operation W.I.L.D. showcases exotic animals like the 8-foot boa constrictor and the bearded-dragon lizard.
Scattered throughout the museum are places for children to engage in creative fun. Nooks and rooms are filled with props for interactive play that easily span generations. There is an entire room designated for the messiest of fun (who wants to make gooey slime?). Another room is filled with building blocks and tools to build structures that inspire the innate engineer.
The popular Nano Exhibit provides a hands-on experience with nanotechnology, a.k.a. the science of the small. Whether you spend your time in a few of these spaces or all, you’ll leave with curiousity piqued and lots of smiles and memories.
Weekly programs included with the $5 admission include: Science Story Time for ages 2-6 on Wednesdays from 11-11:30 a.m.; Sensory Play for ages 2-6 on Thursdays from 10-11:30 a.m.; Engineering Fun for all ages on Fridays at 2 p.m.
A Wildlife Thanksgiving on Nov. 19 introduced visitors to what animals are doing this time of year. On New Year’s Eve, the annual Noon Year’s Eve sponsored by the Junior League is a free, family event with donations going to CMOST’s “Sponsor a Camper” Program. CMOST will also be offering school vacation camps, and this spring there will be a new sensory room and nature trail. Additionally, it has partnered with the Scotia-Glenville Traveling Museum to bring hands-on science adventures to the classrooms. For details on these programs and other events, visit cmost.org.