If your child has rocket dreams, and NASA’s Space Camp is way too pricey, there’s a new, closer alternative! Countdown with your child as he or she becomes an astronaut for a day at the New York Hall of Science’s newly opened Preschool Place Launch Pad. The permanent new outdoor addition to the Hall’s popular Preschool Place allows children ages 6 and younger to take an interactive “journey” though the solar system. The playful outdoor exhibit provides a fun learning experience of light, color, numbers and reading.
During the journey, visitors can:
• Circle the Earth with its moon to learn about the phases of the moon;
• Peek through a red-colored window (Mars) to see the Hall’s meadow and real NASA rockets awash in red;
• Spin Uranus to see how it has a different axis compared to the rest of the planets;
• Watch a solar-powered Neptune spin constantly;
• Rotate a wheel to view all the different stars and galaxies that lie beyond our solar system.
In addition, programs such as Preschool Adventures and group visits are conducted in the exhibit space. Additional exciting programming is being planned to further utilize the new outdoor area. Access to the Preschool Place Launch Pad is included with admission to the Hall, $11 adults, $8 kids. *Quick tip — admission is FREE on Fridays from 2 pm-5 pm, and Sundays from 10 am-11 am. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th Street. 718-699-0005. www.nyscience.org.
