How Kids Can Science at the Maryland Science Center!

I kinda wished I was a kid again. Or had young kids again (my kids are all grown). Because the Maryland Science Center is all about kids and science and teaching kids things by simply making it fun to explore ideas and concepts.

Yes, I visited the Maryland Science Center as an adult. And without kids. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Maryland Science Center, with the slogan of “Let’s Science,” makes the case that science is exploring the wonder of the universe around us.

The kids don’t even realize they’re learning as they sift through sand to find a dinosaur bone or lie on a bed of nails and learn about physics.

Although the theories are serious, the experiences are fun and imaginative, calling to kids to think creatively, do some problem solving, or perhaps just be open to the wonder that surrounds us!

Maryland Science Center also offers an IMax and a planetarium with different programs at different times and on different days and age-appropriate experiment rooms — I must have missed the middle-aged adult room though!

You and your kids literally could spend a whole day there, if you planned out your shows and then dipped into the various exhibits in between, or spend some time in Newton’s Ally exploring toys and games that accidentally have you learning too. (There’s also a cafe.)

You can explore the age of the dinosaurs and the age of space exploration. You can explore what our bodies are made of and see what a cold virus looks like, magnified and enlarged a billion times. You can literally lie on a bed of nails or see weather swirling around a globe of the earth.

One of the planetarium shows we watched was about the colors of the universe, exploring why certain nebulae are green but another is red, or why Saturn is yellow, Mars red, and our sky is blue.

We learned about radio waves and microwaves and why the Northern Lights are green.

And trust me. You won’t be bored, because even though we didn’t have kids, we had soooo much fun there!

Know before you go: The Maryland Science Center will validate parking at these nearby garages:

414 Light Street Parking: Enter on Conway street between Light Street and Charles Street. Bring your parking ticket and receive a voucher providing you with a flat rate of $9.00 for the day.
Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Garage: Enter on Lee Street between Light Street and Charles Street. Bring your parking ticket and receive a voucher providing you with a flat rate of $15.00 for the day.
Gallery Garage: Enter from Calvert Street or South Street. Bring your parking ticket and receive a voucher providing you with a flat rate of $9.00 for the day
Arrow Parking Garage: Located at 11 E. Lee Street between Light Street and Charles Street. Bring your parking ticket and receive a voucher providing you with a flat rate of $12.00 for the day.

Vouchers for all garages can be picked up at the Security Desk located on Level One.