Growing up in NYC, a school trip to the Museum of Natural History is a staple in your grammer school days- and you don’t just visit once- the museum is way too big for that. So you visit 2, 3 sometimes 4 times to visit different areas depending on what you are studying at the time.

Today I got to relive those days by visiting the Museum with my family. I expected to see a lot of changes, however to my surprise- it hadn’t changed much at all. The dinosaur bones were still tremendous, the evolution exhibit were still naked apes, and the space hall still held tons of  ‘space rocks’.

The thing that did change? Experiencing it through my 4 year old sons eyes. He didn’t care about the scientific or historical facts. To him this trip was an adventure- an adventure he had seen in the movies- literally.

The movie “Night at the Museum” really set the pace for my son. So instead just walking around looking at items in glass cases and having no idea what they were or what any one was talking about- my 4 year old  walked into the the Dinosaur hall in amazement trying to find the exact Dinosaur that chased the bone in the movie and then ran excitedly to the the Indian exhibits to see the little men who were fighting the cowboys.

His highlight was the Easter Island Head, who in the movie repeatedly said “Dum, Dum… you give me Gum,Gum”.  He looked up and said in wonderment “Gum, Gum”. His face was priceless. He talked about it the whole way home. It is amazing what influence a movie can have, and how beneficial it can for a learning experience like this one.

There are many great shows and exhibits you can see at The Museum of Natural History Year round, but if you have a movie lover like my son, perhaps the most unique and thrilling experience you can attend “A night at the museum“.

The experience gives you the opportunity to explore the museum after dark with a group and flashlights- just like the movie. The experience will give memories for a life time.

The experience cost is $129 and includes the following:

• Evening snack and light breakfast
• Cots for all participants
• Fossil fact finding mission by flashlight
• IMAX film or space show
• Take-home activities
• Live animal special exhibition (seasonal)

Participants need to be between the ages of 7-13 yrs old, so my son has  few more years to go- but I look forward to letting him experience his very own night at the museum when he is able to attend.

Photo credit: Carol Cain