Exploring Oklahoma with Children
FAR Discovery Lab “Hey, there’s a place in Tulsa I want to check out,” I said to a friend, a local doctor with three children. Bless her heart, she signed up for the experience, and the seven of us – two STEM nerds and five children – drove to Tulsa for a day trip. At the entrance of Tulsa’s Discovery Lab, a gigantic tunnel hung above our heads. But we didn’t have time to ogle because our 6-year- olds were racing to take off their shoes. Upon closer inspection, the tunnels are made completely of packing tape, demonstrating their strength and power in synergy. Kids can climb, play and slide through the tunnels, which are even strong enough to hold adults, including those parents who would rather keep both feet on the floor but need to save their suddenly-afraid-of-heights 4-year-old (it’s me!). Founded in 2007 as a “museum without walls” by a group of moms who saw a need for STEAM experiences in the community, the Discovery Lab is now a full-fledged museum with intentional, immersive exhibits. They introduce big concepts in hands-on ways, such as a solar energy roller coaster, powered by kids with a flashlight. Another exhibit, Ballapalooza, demonstrates the value of systems as children help balls move through tubes with vacuums and simple machines. When an oil derrick in the center fills, an alarm sounds and balls shoot into the sky. Children laugh, throw their hands in the air and start scooping up wayward balls again. All five of our children played in Ballapalooza for over an hour, rushing to stand beneath the falling balls as soon as the alarm bell rang. At the end of the day, we had five exhausted kids on the road trip home. The only regret was no one napped in the car! Plan your visit at discoverylab.org.
SLIDE THROUGH TUNNELS MADE OF PACKING TAPE AT TULSA’S DISCOVERY LAB.
Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge The Salt Plains are just what they sound like – a flat, barren, salty escape – leftover from when an ocean covered most of Oklahoma. The salt creates unique selenite crystals with a brown hourglass shape inside. Located northwest of OKC near Jet, Okla., it’s the only place in the world to dig for these crystals. After a two-hour road trip, we exited the car and noticed the ground beneath us was … white! It’s salt!
My son held his first crystal in the air after only a few minutes of digging. We gawked at the weird hourglass shape, then we took to the ground. We dug, talked, laughed and cheered as we hunted for our collective haul. We came home with a bucket full of the strange crystals. (Note: The limit is 10 pounds per person!) Before we left, my son dared me to lick the salty ground. I’m here to report back so you don’t have to try it – it absolutely (obviously!) tastes salty! Bring your own shovels, buckets, spades and water. Plus, don’t forget hats and sunscreen. The dedicated dig site is open from April 1 to Oct. 15. Visit fws.gov/refuge/salt-plains for more info.
EXPERIENCE IMMERSIVE, HANDS-ON STEM FUN AT DISCOVERY LAB.
DIG FOR SELENITE CRYSTALS AT THE GREAT SALT PLAINS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE NEAR JET, OKLA.
16 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2024
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