Let Your Children Become Scientists at the *NEW* Science Center Lab

Written By Moms with Tots Correspondent: Piper

We took advantage of it being the first day of school in Virginia to check out the brand-spanking-new Children’s Science Center Lab in Fairfax. We had the center almost completely to ourselves, and had a ball playing in the discovery rooms and doing a scientific investigation at the experiment bar. We were able to tinker with familiar objects like Legos and wooden blocks, and also got to test our ingenuity as we constructed flying machines for pipe-cleaner men and played a piano made of magnetic slime!

The Center staff was super helpful and were able to explain and demonstrate complicated scientific concepts in a manner that our preschoolers could understand. The Center is sparkling clean, highly organized– with lesson plans in the under-5 year old room for parent-child exploration, bins of different materials for children to create with, and plenty of signage to explain the science behind the activities. There is ample stroller parking, bathrooms conveniently located inside the Center, and just enough activities to keep children of all ages engaged for a few hours.

The Center is currently divided into 4 STEM themed rooms. The Discovery Zone is intended for ages 5 and under, with musical instruments, light exploration, extra-large foam building blocks, and projects incorporating seashells. The Tinker Shop offered a wind tunnel to test hand-made flying machines, open-ended experimentation with magnets, circuits and art, as well as every child’s favorite-Legos! In the Inspiration Hub, children can explore wind turbines, an over-sized marble run, and gear table. My daughter’s favorite room, the Experiment Bar, allows children and their parents to conduct simple experiments, following instructions on a tablet computer at each seating area along the bar. During our visit, we could choose between making our own magnetic slime or testing different bubble solutions to determine which would create the longest-lasting bubble.

Will we return? Absolutely!! My daughter enjoyed the open-ended playtime, as well as being a “real scientist”–using beakers and measuring solutions. It was important for her to test out ideas and keep making changes until she reached the result that she wanted. We look forward to seeing what kind of experiments will be available at our next visit! The Center is a wonderful, educational addition to our area, and a great way to break up a day of errands and shopping at the mall.

The Children’s Science Center Lab is located inside Fair Oaks Mall, between Sears and Lord & Taylor. It is open 7 days a week, from 10am to 6pm. Admission is $12 for all visitors over the age of 2, under 2 years is free. Admission is good for the entire day—so you can leave to grab lunch and head back in to explore again. Check out the Budding Scientists program happening on Friday mornings and find out when the Center is staying open for extended hours here!

Learn More About the Children’s Science Center

The Children’s Science Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to filling the gap in Northern Virginia with a permanent, world-class interactive exploration center that incorporates traditional museum exhibits with cutting edge discovery experiences.