MamaPlusOne is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post is not sponsored in any way by Union Station, Science City, or its’ affiliates. All opinions are my own.

After our trip to Science City last fall, I knew that it was important for us to keep going back. Zach had such a good time, and continued talking about our trip so much, that buying an annual membership was the only option for us– we just knew it was something we’d use. The bright side is that the membership also gets discounted admission to special exhibits, including one very, very exciting exhibit– XTreme Bugs!

 

To visit XTreme Bugs, you’ll want to go down to the ticket counter on the lower level. For those of you who aren’t Union Station members, you can find pricing information on the Union Station Website for the exhibit, but if you’re a Union Station member, it’ll cost you $7.50 per ticket. I’m going to tell you a little bit later why I think being a Union Station member is a great idea, but for now, just know that you’ll save money on these tickets by getting a membership.

If you follow the signs (and the bugs) you’ll find the exhibit!

One thing you’ll note is that the exhibit is called “Xtreme Bugs!” That means they don’t discriminate between insects, arachnids, etc… it means that this exhibit is about ALL bugs. Luckily, they make this pretty clear from the start of the exhibit, and also have this graphic about the distinction between different types of bugs.

When you get into the area, you’ll be greeted by bugs. Huge, giant, animatronic bugs. Many of these bugs are taller than me, and they’re for sure taller than my son. Each bug moves, whether it’s their antennae, a head nod, a leg wiggle… every bug moves. And it’s kind of creepy in an awesome way.

Because the exhibit is self-paced, the length of time it takes you is totally based on how long you spend at each thing. Zach is 3 1/2, so it took us about 45 minutes to get through it. That said, there are two short films you can stop and watch, and plenty of interactive material, so an older child or a child with an extreme interest in bugs could easily take an hour or two inside. The website says to plan 60 minutes. I think it could take much longer if your child is thoroughly interested. That said, as I mentioned, it didn’t take us that long to get through it. It really just depends on your child’s age and interest level in Bugs.

The key feature of this exhibit is the sheer interactivity. Animatronic bugs are cool. Interactive exhibits are even cooler. Stationed at some of the areas in the exhibit are iPads. Point them at a specific screen, and a 3D interactive “game” pops up. At the honeybee exhibit, you go through the life stages of a bee, help it build it’s honeycomb, and more. You do this while learning fun facts. There’s one table in the exhibit, as well, where you can tap on a bug, determine if a statement is fact or myth (many of these are based on things you learned in the exhibit, so this acts as a fun way to test your learning), and then shares related bugs and the sound of the bug you just tapped on.

I loved that this exhibit showed a really diverse set of bugs, from scorpions to atlas moths… I think it’s cool when you can see a wide variety of bugs and discuss their features.

The exhibits had an entire atmosphere of bugginess, from the sounds piped in to the bugs on the walls. Each bug had it’s own fact board which told you everything from habitat to diet and then some extreme facts about each bug.

You can, of course, limit the screen interaction in Xtreme Bugs because there are other great options for interaction, like the magnet wall that helps you pair bugs with their natural place in the ecosystem and an activity where you can dig for trilobites.

There are also a few fun photo opportunities, of course! As you wrap up, you’ll want to know that the Xtreme Bugs exhibit does not allow re-entry, so you’ll want to make sure you saw and did everything before you leave.

Just outside the non-reentry doors, there are a few more fun activities for kids. One of the parts my son loved the most was this cool projector on the floor. A a glance, it looks like it’s just an image projected onto the floor with crawling ladybugs and butterflies. But as you step on it, the bugs scatter and move, interacting with your body blocking the image! They try to avoid you as you run, stomp, kick, and jump on the image. It’s SO cool, and I’ve never seen anything like it before.

As you’re leaving the exhibit, there are coloring pages to enjoy or take home with bugs and bug facts.

Of course, what would a bug exhibit be without, you know, actual bugs? With four sealed cases, you can see things like Silk Worms and Tarantulas. My son loved it, but I felt very ewwwww about the whole thing, of course! Pretty glad they’re in sealed cases!

You can, of course, find an educator guide here, to extend this exhibit in your classroom or homeschool environment. With activities for Kindergarten through 12th grade, there’s plenty for all ages to explore. Zach and I are hoping to make a butterfly garden this spring!

Xtreme Bugs is at Union Station until April 12, so hurry in before it’s over!

We like to supplement our field trips with books for our book basket. If you do the same, here are a few of our top picks:

 

After our trip to Xtreme Bugs, we decided to head to Science City. If you want to go to Science City, there are a few options. You can buy individual tickets to Science City, purchase a combo pack for Xtreme Bugs and Science City, getting you into Science City at a discount, or you can get a membership, like I mentioned above, which gets you into Science City for free. That’s right. Free. Unlimited visits, so you can return again and again.

And, with two great new exhibits, you definitely want to be there.

One of the new exhibits in Science City was actually designed by students at nearby Olathe North high school and completely revolves around water. Every Last Drop has plenty of unique water features, from a room where you can see how water gets cleaned, to a silo that shows what water levels are like now compared to years ago.

Continuing with the awesome projections like the one I mentioned from the Xtreme Bug Exhibit, there’s a cool floor projection with fish that creates ripples as you walk. Zach now wants us to put one in our house… ha! A sand table with interactive topography also uses the same technology, allowing you to build mountains as the topographic lines change.

You definitely get the “water theme” throughout the every last drop exhibit, from the water-themed lighting to the different mini-exhibits that make up the larger exhibit. But our favorite part, of course, was…

The water table. Filled with interactive water play opportunities, this was easily the most fun part of the very interactive exhibit. While many parts of the exhibit were tailored to older ages or younger ages, this was one that could appeal to everyone, young and old. I saw parents laughing and exploring just as much as small children, and, like many other parts of Science City, there are step stools so even the youngest kids can explore independently.

The Every Last Drop exhibit is all-encompassing in that it discusses everything from water scarcity to water purification to water technology like the Archimedes Screw, and with everything being interactive, there’s a lot to learn in the exhibit. Plus, an exhibit designed by high school kids is really incredible!

Because of time constraints, we weren’t able to visit the other new exhibit at Science City, called Unlock the Code, but the features sound amazing– a chance to try on other genes (like dimples!) or imagine what it would be like to have more than one of you, this exhibit was also designed by students. No, not high schoolers… this exhibit was designed by fourth graders. Inspired by their teacher’s struggle with a genetic disorder, the students have spent a lot of time talking about genetics, and this new exhibit talks all about what our genes mean, and what goes on with DNA. I know we’re going to have a blast exploring it the next time we’re there, but if you make it there before we do, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Science City is part of why our membership is so valuable to us. While I’ve talked about Science City in detail before, I want to share a little bit about why Zach and I value our Union Station membership.

First off, it’s tax deductible. I’m not even joking– memberships to Union Station can be deducted on taxes, which means you’re already getting a really sweet deal. Your membership gets you in free to Science City year-round, which means unlimited access to that cool magnet table above, the two new permanent exhibits (Every Last Drop and Unlock the Code), and unlimited Planetarium entry.

That means if you truly wanted to, you could come back every single day to play in Melody Park…

….or build with big foam blocks. Or catch the latest show at the Planetarium again… and again… and again.

Union Station members also get special invitations to members-only events, which is pretty sweet, and  get a discount at the traveling exhibits (like the Xtreme Bugs exhibit).

Not only that, but you can use your membership card to score a 10% discount at stores and restaurants inside of Union Station!

But if, by chance, you get bored with visiting Science City (but seriously, who could EVER get bored with that?), you can actually use your Union Station membership to get you free or discounted entrance to over 300 science museums worldwide using the ASTC passport. Zach and I are looking forward to taking a few road trips to hit the museums in the states near us this year using our membership. You can find the full list of participating museums here. You know what else that means, though? That if you AREN’T from the KC area, but are a member of a museum that also participates in the ASTC passport program, you can come and visit Union Station with free admission to Science City.

 

For us, Union Station membership is worth it because it’s just the place to be when it’s too hot or too cold to be outside, and it’s perfect for exploration and innovation, two things I really want my son to master. Because STEM learning is important to me, providing opportunities for Zach to explore that hands-on matters. It’s for that reason that I think the $75 cost (for two individuals… pricing starts at $55 for a single individual and works up to $145 for a family of 5-8 members) is worth it every year. And did I mention it’s tax deductible and makes a great gift?

This year, I put a ban on toys for Christmas, which means that in addition to a pet fish and two hands-on subscription boxes, Zach got memberships to Union Station (including Science City and the Planetarium), the aquarium, and Legoland, all of which I feel support his ability to explore and learn in a hands-on way.

 

You can learn more about Union Station membership here, or find out more about the Xtreme Bugs exhibit here. Don’t forget to read up on the great new permanent exhibits in Science City here.

Of course, I’ve also written more on our experience with Science City, the Planetarium, and the KC Rail Experience, other things to do in Kansas City, and on planning a Staycation, so you’ll want to check those out, too!

Have you been to Science City? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!