Kennedy Space Center is packed with educational aspects, excitement, and exhibits. As much as I could spend the entire day there, my younger children can get antsy, fast! KSC recently opened Planet Play. It is the most interactive indoor children’s playground, built around a solar system of activities and adventure. We spent hours exploring its many levels and officially deemed it our favorite park! With timed admission for safety and monthly ticket sales, take the trip to Cape Canaveral for an out of this world day, kids style!
Three aspects I love about Planet Play:
- Designed for all ages, Kennedy Space Center left no stone unturned in the developing of this attraction. Head over to the toddler area to play on the moon and soft surfaces if you have babies. Otherwise, slide on a meteor to get from one level to another, shoot asteroids into space and so much more. What I personally loved was how adults could join in on the fun with their children. We jumped across stars, slid through wormholes, powered up our spaceship to soar to different planets and never stopped giggling. When I became too exhausted to keep up, the lounge offers coffee, beer, and other beverages while I was able to watch the boys.
- Everything is hands on which promoted extra excitement for the little ones. In one section, children colored satellites or space creatures and scan their creation. Within seconds, their masterpiece appears on the screen around us. My five year old was ecstatic to see his name and drawing on the wall! Even the lounge area tables turned into air hockey tables. Aspiring astronauts teamed up to navigate a rover with their feet and complete missions. Nets, ropes and winding stairs allowed us to journey through each planet in a unique way.
- I was impressed with the learning aspect. I must have heard each child yell, “Did you know that?!” tons of times! As we raced (jumped or ran in place) to fill our spaceship we were transported to Venus. The screens around us changed as if we landed on the planet filling us with information about wind speed, temperature and so much more (Did you know it rains Metal on Venus?!) We gained knowledge on The Juno Satellite, which orbits around Jupiter to measure its composition, gravity field and more. No one ever felt as if they were bored or in school which made this concept even better. Education through play time is my favorite way to teach!
When visiting Kennedy Space Center, the Mission to Mars exhibit will also keep you busy for hours. Video games allowing you to control the Mars rover yourself, the future of Mars exhibits take your breath away, and don’t forget to take a pic with an astronaut. A stellar day trip for anyone within driving distance!
Check out more information on NASA’s website and book your reservation in advance: https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/landing-pages/planet-play?gclid=Cj0KCQiAvbiBBhD-ARIsAGM48bzlVDqxP-Ef4qYxgTjdfG7QJa53FlLZXcsrPHK9WcWHo6tv7wj863QaAsnoEALw_wcB
