Now that we’ve decided to homeschool I find myself searching high and low for local places to visit that provide both education and fun. Not to mention somewhere that is local and has great parking. We’ve visited a few museums and I cannot begin to describe the difference between NHMLA and the others. For starters, this museum was as much fun for my husband and I as it was for our kids. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles lives up to their mission to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.
Each of my kids are different types of learners. JJ is more of a visual/kinesthetic learner and Kaila more of an auditory/visual learner. Having the ability to explain the exhibits both with tangible and visual tools was awesome! We had a blast here and are planning to become members.
Here are some tips and must do’s while visiting the NHMLA.
* The dinosaur hall is mind blowing. This was originally our reason for visiting, but little did we know there was so much more to explore!
* Make sure to bring hand sanitizer as your kids will love playing with all the tangible learning tools. I touched on this a little above but the “montessori” style tools for learning is great.
* Make sure to also purchase a ticket for the Butterfly Pavilion. This is a definite must do when visiting the NHMLA. It was almost like stepping into a fantasy land.
* The museum closes at 5 so make sure to give yourself at least 5 hours here. We arrived at 230 and feel like we totally cheated ourselves coming later in the day. There was still so much more to enjoy.
* The kid-friendly food options are great. No need to pack a lunch because there are tons of food options including fruits. The husband and I both enjoyed our burgers.
* Make sure to visit their Nature Lab which teaches about Los Angeles biodiversity.
* Make sure to visit the Nature Gardens which is outdoors. They also have hiking tours which we look forward to enjoying on our next visit.
* This is a stroller friendly museum.
* I have to mention the Nature Lab again!! MAKE SURE you visit it!!! So much to learn, so much to enjoy, so much to teach, so much FUN!!!
Hope you enjoy the NHMLA as much as we did. It’s truly a Los Angeles gem.
