The new and fabulous Canada Science and Technology Museum is less than a month away from opening, and my family is pretty excited. We love Ottawa’s network of fabulous museums, and they are particularly useful during the winter months when we are looking for more indoor activities. So, with winter weather just around the corner, the opening of the Science and Technology Museum comes at just the right time.

The new science museum has been three years in the making – basically the entire time my family has lived here in Ottawa. I never actually got to visit the old museum, and while there will be some familiar favourites for past visitors – including the Crazy Kitchen and giant steam locomotives –  the majority of the museum will include completely new and exciting exhibits.

This past weekend I got a chance to take my kids and check out a sneak peek at ZOOOM, which is a super cool and interactive play area at the new science museum.

ZOOOM is for kids aged 0-8 years old. Children can play, touch and learn in a safe and engaging space. I loved how open the area was, with great sight lines for keeping an eye on your kids as they buzz around trying out the different exhibits.

ZOOOM included an ultra sensory play structure, where kids can touch, see, hear and smell different things and try to identify what they are encountering. There is also a building station with oversized foam blocks, a light and sound console and a wind vortex with a large circular path and animated features (there were some amazing giggles coming from the kids testing out the vortex.)

My kids really loved trying out the climbing wall. I loved it too because it was easy enough for both my two year old and four year old to get up on (without my help), but there were also challenges for older kids. A sign challenged climbers to try using only the black climbing holds, then try using only the red and try to determine which path they found hardest.

The most popular part of the ZOOOM exhibit at the Science and Technology Museum had to be the vehicle building station and the test ramps. Here, kids got to build their own vehicles out of foam pieces and wheels and then test them out and race them down the four ramps. It’s a really cool feature and it was fun to watch the kids trying out bigger or smaller vehicles to see which ones would navigate the ramps the fastest.

An exciting addition for parents of little ones – there is a designated baby and toddler area. It is soft and entirely contained, with plenty of bright colours and things for babies to explore. The toddler area also gives parents full view of the rest of the exhibit, which is a huge help if you have older children ripping around.

The 80 000 sq feet new Science and Technology Museum is set to open on November 17. So mark it in your calendars, and stay tuned for another blog post on the entire museum unveiling coming up in a few weeks!