Sparking an Interest in Science and Creativity
As soon as I returned home from Omaha, McKenzie begged me to take her the museum. Usually, we have gone to the Portland Children’s Museum. However, today I decided to shake it up a bit and go to OMSI instead.
Now, usually, we head to the Science Playground, geared towards younger children, but on this visit, we made a detour to Turbine Hall with its fantastic science and technology interactive exhibits.
McKenzie took an immediate fascination with the actual-sized model of a Gemini capsule, pretending to blast off into space. She would have remained there if I hadn’t pushed her to explore. We quickly made our way through the exhibits until we landed at the Arch Bridge exhibit.
The exhibit is essentially an assortment of foam blocks with which, following a diagram, you construct an arch bridge. Together, McKenzie and I built and tore down several arch bridges, and I was surprised by how much McKenzie seemed to enjoy and learn from the exercise.
Of course, I experienced moments of frustration, forgetting that I am playing with a five-year-old little girl, not a college engineering honors student. Once I banished my unrealistic expectations, McKenzie’s natural curiosity and quick comprehension welled up an overwhelming sense of pride and hope within me — pride in my daughter’s native intelligence, a product of her parent’s genes, and hope that we as parents are doing something right.
