Papalote Children's Museum - February 1, 2010

I am going back quite awhile here! We went to this museum on a Monday that Dave had off from work. We were told by someone to get there early as it seems that the majority of Mexicans like to sleep in and it was good sound advice.

We got there when the museum opened and had a chuckle at the numerous staff that lined the walkway into the museum, each one greeting us with "Hola". It was something out of the movies.

We were a little lost when we first entered because we didn't have a map and everything was in Spanish. We just started heading towards the back of the museum and then up the stairs to start at the furthest point.

There was a small area on the top floor that was for younger children. They had about four computers set up for games (of course, in Spanish), a spot to ride these small trains that you sit on and push with your feet, a cubby with dress up clothes and songs so you could dance and see yourself on the video screen, and a few small slides.

On the bottom floor, they had a mock 'Wal-Mart' set up where kids could go in and pretend to shop for five items. The kids were suppose to be between 3 and 8, but we figured she was close enough, and besides, shopping is her favorite pastime. Parents are not allowed in, but instead peer in through the large windows. We could see them telling Claire five items, but we weren't sure if she completely understood them. After they collected the five items, they brought it up to the cash register where someone rang it up, then bagged it for them and gave them their receipt. Claire thought this was a blast and it was her request to do this activity a second time before we left.

Things were a little different the second time though. We prepped her prior to entering the second time by reminding her that she needed to get only five items and then bring them up to the register. We waited outside the doors forever for Claire to go in! When it was finally her turn, they let in around seven kids, sat them down in a circle, and had a little pow wow with them - kind of campy. Who knows what they were telling them, but just like her daddy, Claire sat there and nodded her head as if she understood. They finally let the kids go off and go shopping, but Claire got too excited again and wanted to fill her cart with more than five items! They stopped her and brought her to the register. Then after her stuff was rung up and bagged, they wanted her to put the items back on the shelf. She didn't have to do that before! She wasn't sure where all her items went, considering she was just grabbing everything in sight, but they helped her put it all back. Then the kids were suppose to put their carts back too and wait for the rest to finish up so they could sit for another pow wow. Well, Claire had enough and she took off for the door to get out! I made Dave explain to the workers that she didn't speak Spanish! I thought she did pretty well for playing along!

There was also a huge outdoor area. It had a basketball hoop out in the middle of a pool of water. There were a ton of balls that you could pick up and try to throw into the basket. There was also tables set up for crafts, play structures, and a giant sandbox. The weather on this day wasn't the greatest. It was cold and a bit rainy so we didn't get to do very much outside. Claire really wanted to play in the sandbox, but being the mean mom that I am, I wouldn't let her because she had on a dress and tights and I knew how that would feel later.

Around the outside, they had a bubble station (much like the one at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum). We played in there awhile, but the tables were up too high for little ones to reach easily and the cold weather put a damper on this activity.

The last area that was for children Claire's age was a sort of 'environmental awareness' area. They had turtles in a large dome that you could watch swim and chicks hatching out of eggs (one chick was out and to be honest, I don't think the rest were going to hatch by the looks of them). They also had a boat where kids could "fish" using a magnetic pole. By this time, the museum was getting super crowded and it was hard to get a chance to use many of the exhibits so we decided to hit the store and the bathrooms and then head out.

Overall, Dave and I were quite disappointed in the museum, for what we paid. This is one of the more expensive museums in the city. It didn't help that it was all in Spanish and I am not saying that they should make it in English, but it just made it harder for us to understand and get the most out of it. Most of the exhibits were for older children and the exhibits that they had for little kids didn't have enough items there for all to play with. I also realize that my other experience with a children's museum is the Grand Rapids museum and it is awesome! Claire did have a good time though so Dave and I realized that as long as she had fun, it was worth the trip, at least once.