The Magic Schoolbus Kicks Up a Storm and a Lot of Fun!

Get ready for a complete weather experience when The Magic School Bus™ Kicks Up A Storm at The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. The exhibit, which be be featured at the museum through January 27th, is based on the popular books and television series, The Magic School Bus from Scholastic Inc. The Magic School Bus™ has been transformed into a flying weather observatory where different types of weather can be created, experienced, and measured.

Everyone can learn about the different types of weather and their characteristics, and how to read natural world indicators to predict the weather. Plus, visitors can manipulate scientific measurement tools such as thermometers and anemometers and get the behind-the-scenes scoop on how to read maps and graphs like a real meteorologist!

My great-nephew, Johnny, and I were invited to the museum to learn about the weather as we climbed aboard the Magic School Bus and Johnny got to drive it!!

Our first stop was Ms. Frizzle's Classroom, which was filled to the brim with unique science projects created by her students. Ms. Frizzle’s Classroom gives kids hands-on experiences as they explore a variety of climatic regions and how people adapt to them while learning how weather influences our decisions about clothing, shelter, food, work and even play.

Johnny loved coloring his own weather map with Ms Fizzle and learning about climate zones with Pheobe’s Climate Jigsaw Puzzle. He learned how weather affects animals through Liz’s feathered, furry and sometimes scaly friends as she shares postcards on weather experiences.

At Ralphie’s Hot Air Balloon Race, Johnny sent a miniature hot air balloon sailing over a heated surface to capture rising heat and learned about its important role in weather.  Then in Tim’s Hot Backyard, he compared the effects of heat on several surfaces and learned how heat comes from the sun and how different surfaces absorb and reflect different amounts of heat.

Carlos’ Air Blasters was one of his favorite stops. By snapping the back, the blaster sent a burst of air up to move the hanging "clouds". He also learned how temperature affects the wind at Keesha’s Wind Globe and about cloud cover by using a mirror at Arnold’s Cloud Cover Window.

Wanda’s Watery World taught us about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation and we learned about how the earth's tilt causes the seasons change at Dorothy Ann’s Ring Around the Seasons.

Another favorite stop was the Weather Video Jukebox where he learned about tornadoes, blizzards,  and other types of weather. (He particularly liked the tornadoes!)

At the Walkerville Weather Center, he went “live” from the  Frizzle News Network Radio to report the weather just like a meteorologist.

After our exciting day, Johnny took a moment to explain all he had been learning to Bethany Taylor, the public relations coordinator for the museum and to thank her for inviting us.

The Children's Museum of Atlanta is a smart place to play and a non-profit organization offering a family-friendly space filled with interactive, educational exhibits and programming for children ages eight and under. The Museum’s mission is to spark imagination and inspire discovery and learning for all children through the power of play. The Museum’s four permanent learning zones consist of bright, creative, hands-on exhibits that are designed to give children an opportunity to learn through play. The Children’s Museum of Atlanta also offers parties, memberships, field trips, summer camp, and private events. 

On our way out of the museum, Johnny also rode a real tractor, milked a cow, climbed on lots of cool stuff, painted, fished, played in the sand, and operated the crane. He had a wonderful day and cannot wait to go back!!

For more information or to support The Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit their website at www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org, their Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/imagineitcma, or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cmatlanta or call 404.659.KIDS [5437].

Museum hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Admission is $12.75 plus tax for adults and children ages 2 and above; children under 2 are free. The Children’s Museum is located in the Lucky Marietta District at 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW.

For information on other activities for kids, click HERE.