By Heather Larson
“Do you want to know what’s in your poop?” my daughter called to me from an interactive display at the WET Science Center in Olympia. “It’s very interesting.”
My daughter, three-year-old granddaughter Kita and I were all mesmerized by the wealth of exhibits, games and information dispensed at WET.
Even dragons need their teeth brushed.
Kita liked brushing the stuffed dragon’s teeth so much, she did it several times, and then she bathed the stuffed dog. I flushed the toilet so I could see what fact would come up in the bottom. How do they do that anyway?
My daughter reveled in what she learned about “sinkers” and “floaters.”
We all liked using the gigantic calculator to determine how much water we used in a day. Plastic gallon bottles, next to the calculator, filled when you pushed the “equals” button so you got a visual picture of just exactly how much water you used and wasted. That’s a real wake-up call.
An interactive display lets you select a water treatment job and solve a problem that job handler might encounter. I did really well there so maybe I’ve missed my calling.
You can also participate in a water conservation scavenger hunt, which I know from past experience kids really love.
Besides the permanent exhibits and displays, WET also frequently hosts specific activities like making a nature journal, learning about aquatic insects in a pond life safari and playing a giant floor game titled “The Drip Stops Here.”
If You Go . . .
What: LOTT's WET (Water Education and Technology) Science Center exhibit gallery and classroom opened in 2010 to provide the community with a fun, hands-on opportunity for learning all about water.
Where: At LOTT's Regional Services Center, at 500 Adams Street N
When: WET is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Price: Free.
Heather Larson, a writer in Tacoma, enjoys visiting kid-friendly places in Washington with her grandchildren and then writing about the experience. She blogs at Discover Washington State, where this post originally appeared.
