By Heather Larson
When I visited KidsQuest Children's Museum in Bellevue recently, I had to wear a sticker that said, “Unaccompanied Adult . . . and wishing I were a kid again!"
How true. I just wanted to dig right in and play alongside the kids.
The first area you come to contains “Waterways.” Our guide reminded us, “There is no wrong way to play with water.” The kids there at the time seemed to agree as they splashed and guided boats through the channels. Water play is fun at any age.
Then I was distracted by a staff member playing with green slime. Don't you want to get your hands on it?
The museum staff makes their own slime, which takes on some very elastic properties.
So many play areas, so little time. I ventured into the Hard Hats Area without a hard hat, where I became mesmerized by this special green sand called Moon Sand that stuck together so you could make balls out of it. On to fiddling with nuts and bolts.
Unfortunately I couldn’t drive the semi-truck in the Large Science area as the driver’s seat was occupied. But I heard the driver turn the key and the sound the truck made.
When you go, don’t forget to try the scarf shooter. The scarf wends its way through all kinds of tubes and comes back to you, usually behind where you’re standing.
Currently the museum is located in the Factoria Square Mall, but it has outgrown the space and will be moving to downtown Bellevue.
KidsQuest is free the first Friday of the month between 5-8 p.m. – so next Friday, May 4, is a good time to check it out.
I can’t wait to take my granddaughter there so I don’t have to wear the “unaccompanied adult” sticker and can play to my heart’s content.
If You Go . . .
Where: KidsQuest Children's Museum, 4091 Factoria Mall S.E., Bellevue, WA
Hours: Closed Monday; Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free the first Friday of each month from 5-8 p.m.
Admission: $7-$8, free for under age 1
Heather Larson, a writer in Tacoma, enjoys visiting kid-friendly places in Washington with her grandchildren and then writing about the experience. She blogs at Discover Washington State, where this post originally appeared.
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