Last week we visited the Telus World of Science in Vancouver. It’s been on our to-do list for the last year but somehow we just haven’t made it happen before. I’m glad we finally made it there—it was definitely worth the visit! Here’s an overview of what we saw during this visit to the Telus World of Science.
I received four complimentary passes to Telus World of Science as thanks for being a Healthy Family Expo Blog Ambassador. All opinions expressed are my own.
We turned our Science World trip into a big outing by taking the SkyTrain there. That also let us swing past Starbucks on the way. The girls had fun riding the train, although it was a bit crowded. People were friendly and made space for us and the stroller. We didn’t have to worry about traffic or parking, as the SkyTrain dropped us off right at Telus World of Science.
With our passes, we jumped the lineup. (Apparently you can also buy tickets online to skip the lineup—worth doing for busy times!) Within a minute, we were on the elevator heading upstairs to find the BodyWorlds exhibit.
BodyWorlds at Telus World of Science (Temporary Exhibit)
I’ve heard of BodyWorlds for years but never been to one before. I wasn’t totally sure what the girls would think of seeing dead animals or all the “inside” stuff in our bodies. To my surprise, they were actually quite into it. We’ve done museums and zoos and aquariums for years, so to them, this was just another version of that. They ran from display to display, commenting excitedly about each animal they recognized.
The hardest part about the BodyWorlds exhibit was that it was all no touch. I kept telling the girls “don’t touch the glass!” and hovering nearby to make sure they didn’t try to touch any of the animals. Everything was within arms reach and so touchable for kids!
There were skeletons, brains, animals with only their veins left, muscles, and more. We saw the giraffe’s heart (about the size of my head!) and intestines and cross-sections of skulls. The girls had a lot of questions and comments about everything and even wanted pictures with several of them. (They thought we should send a picture of the bull to Grandpa, who has cows.)’
Then we came around a corner in the exhibit and found the TOUCHING section. (I almost shouted Hallelujah!) The girls could match teeth to their animals and fur to their animals and touch it all. They had fun with the puzzles and wanted to do them multiple times, but I tried to move them through to let others have turns.
From there we had to make a washroom run and then the girls decided they’d had enough of the BodyWorlds exhibit. I think we made it through about half of it; there was a lot to see there! As usual with museums, we could have gone slower and read the signs more. I did get Sunshine to read some of the signs (it’s so handy that she can read now!) to her sisters, but mostly we just looked and discussed the sculptures or models.
Sara Stern Gallery (Permanent Exhibit)
From the washrooms, we headed into the Sara Stern Gallery. This was immediately kid-friendly, with tons for the kids to touch and play with. They spent several minutes right at the door, sliding a magnifying glass past various butterflies and bugs. When they started fighting over the magnifying glass, I moved them further in.
The girls ran through a beaver’s den, posed with a dinosaur, tapped rocks to see how they sounded, and more. There was so much to do in this part of the gallery, but because it was spring break, there were a lot of other kids there too who also wanted to do everything.
Wonder Gallery
Next we wandered into the Wonder Gallery and I’ll admit I kinda breathed a sigh of relief. Keeping track of three girls in a spring break crowd at a public venue was getting stressful. I told the girls to stay within the Wonder Gallery and have fun. While they ran off in three separate directions, I parked our stroller off to the side with the others and got Pearl out of the Ergo (my back was getting sore).
Jade was a little overwhelmed by all the kids and noise there. While Sunshine and Lily jumped right in and found spaces to play, Jade hung back. I found a few toys for her to play with which brought a big smile to her face. Then, when Pearl needed to eat, I left all three girls playing in the water table and escaped into the nursing mother’s room.
Silence. Ah, blessed silence! I changed Pearl quickly on the changing table there and then sank into one of the big comfy armchairs and glanced out the big one-way window at the girls having fun. Pearl ate happily and fell asleep. When I came back out again, the girls were still parking their boats in the water table and building canals (I love the way water can entertain them for hours!).
By that point, however, I was done with the noise and crowds. I eased Pearl into the stroller (and she stayed asleep!) and we navigated our way out of Telus World of Science. The girls kept trying to drag me left or right to check out something else, especially Sunshine (my extrovert). There’s definitely lots more there for us to see another day.
See the Science Behind Pixar (Temporary Exhibit)
UPDATE: We returned to the Telus World of Science in 2018 for their Science Behind Pixar exhibit. I totally recommend watching the changing exhibits and making sure you get down there when a new temporary exhibit shows up. Pairing science with favourite movies is a great way to help children learn more about so many different concepts. All our girls, from two-year-old Pearl up to ten-year-old Sunshine, enjoyed finding out more about what went into the making of their favourite films. This exhibit is at Science World from May 19, 2018 until January 6, 2019.
Visiting Telus World of Science
Baby-friendly: YES! There are change tables in the washrooms, elevators or ramps for strollers, and the nursing mom’s room in the Kidspace. There were lots of other moms there with strollers, though wearing a baby might make it easier to navigate the exhibits.
Kid-friendly: YES! There was so much here for kids of all ages. Kidspace is intended for kids 0-6 but even the regular exhibits had lots that kept the attention of all three girls (ages 3 to 8). Older kids will get more out of it but younger kids aren’t bored.
Fees: A family admission costs about $75-100. Babies 0-2 are free; kids 3 and up must pay admission. Upgrades to see an Omnimax film are extra. Special fees may also apply to feature exhibits like BodyWorld. Memberships pay themselves off within three visits.
To find out more about Telus World of Science, drop by their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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