Orlando Science Center

I took Levi to the Orlando Science Center for the first time.   We really enjoyed ourselves! 

There were several of these giant amethyst geodes - Levi loves purple so he tried to sit in all of them

Sea turtle nest, not quite as cool as the one we saw for real on our sea turtle walk.

Gators and turtles.   When I asked Levi what his favorite things were, he said he liked watching the alligators get fed, and seeing all the snakes. 

After watching the feeding, they had a tiny baby to pet. 

I heard this orange grove was a big hit, I thought it looked like something more for younger kids, but this was a favorite for Levi too. 

Pick some oranges....

Load them up...

Pedal...

Watch them go up and over... 

Gather them again

And ship them off...

Levi was so excited because I let him see 2 movies, the first was a giant dome movie of the Galapagos Islands, where our neighbors just went on vacation (while we dog sat for them).    They brought Levi a book about it, so he already had some ideas.  And we are learning about volcanoes, which they showed in the movie as well including how they formed and information on hot spots.     If it weren't for the 200 kids in the theater who could not stop talking (camps or something) it would have been really good.  

Levi and I both tried the flexibility test.   He got 22, and I got 20.  For his age/gender, he was supposed to get 6 and I was supposed to get 6.5.   So apparently were are pretty flexible (yay gymnastics and P90X)

These things are always fun, and of course impossible to photograph properly. 

 We saw a science demo all about air pressure.   She had an air cannon that fascinated Levi.  After the show he asked to examine it so he can try and make one.   I suppose we could try this but I'm guessing he'd rather do this.  Or I could just buy one here.     She also did the "card on a glass of water" trick, and several other experiments.    She even filled the air cannon with fog.  It blows rings!

Levi helps out

TP shooting

Snake type thing I guess?  With a seat on it.    No point at all to this thing, other than for taking pictures on.

There was a room full of various vehicles.  Levi spent a good deal of time on this plane, talking to his hand - I'm guessing he was being a pilot making announcements about how to buckle a seatbelt or something.

The other movies we saw were 3D, there were 2 short ones in a row - Penguins and "Unseen World" which was full of time lapse photography.   Both were very good.    (And only one part of the Penguin one scared him, when a bird was going to eat the baby)

I tried to get a picture of us in the triangle mirror. 

We went up to see the dinosaurs last.   I don't think Levi has ever seen full size bones like this.   He found a museum guy who was just putting things away in the box under T-rex, and started chatting.  Levi ended up talking to him for a good 45min, asking questions, leading him over to displays to ask more questions.    He kept saying "whoa thats a good question" and telling me how smart Levi is.  Finally I was able to drag him away, but not before he was given two real fossils to take home.  

On our way home, we stopped at the brand new Trader Joe's!    6min from the science center, but a whole 1.5hours from our house.   Too far to go regularly, but we will stop by whenever we are out that way.   We got a cartload of stuff, and Levi found the Peacock (I think?) and earned an organic lollypop (All Trader Joe's hide some sort of animal in their stores that they move around often, if kids find it, they get a lolly).   Levi also made friends with the "sample guys" and kept running off to chat with them about the science center and who knows what else.   They said he was more entertaining than Key Lime Pie.