(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading...Wonderscope is a great place to let your child’s imagination run wild. Kids who get bored with one thing easily can bounce from one room to the next. Wonderscope is housed in an old elementary school where the classrooms are now the exhibit rooms. Each room has a different theme and activity in it. Depending on your child’s age and interests, some rooms will be a big hit and some they will have no interest in.
Overall we like Wonderscope because:
- wide range of ages enjoy the rooms
- many different activities for different interests
- easy to move from one room to the next
- can spend as long or short as you want in each place
Hours:
Labor Day to Memorial Day (School Year Hours)
Monday: Closed
Tuesday-Friday: 10am-4pm
Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sunday: Noon-5pm
Memorial Day to Labor Day (Summer Hours)
Monday-Saturday:10am-5pm
Sunday: Noon-5pm
Admission:
Ages 3-63 $7
Ages 64 and up $6
1 and 2 year olds $4
Infants under 1- FREE
Members- FREE (membership prices vary between $80 and $125 depending on the package)
Raceways room-great for all ages
The first two rooms on your left as you start down the hallway are the Raceways rooms. Children of all ages love this room. Golf balls are used in this room. The children can gather a bucket of golf balls and try all the different structures.
There are :
- ramps
- spirals
- loop-de-loops
This room lets kids explore how different inclines determine how far the ball will go. Plan on spending some time in this room. Kids would stay there all day if they could. There is also a small enclosed area for non-walkers with a few infant toys in this room.
Across the hall from the Raceways is the Farm to Market- great for all ages
In farm to market there are many different activities for the children to participate in.
- collecting eggs from the chicken coop
- picking fruits and vegetables from the garden
- planting in the garden
- moving hay bales up a kid powered conveyor belt (great for teamwork)
- sorting produce
- buying produce (mini shopping carts- great for new walkers)
Kids LOVE to use the conveyor belt. They never seem to tire of it. It is great for cooperation and team work. Even the younger kids can help bring the hay bales out of the silo to the conveyor belt. Cleaning up in this room is a must though. Be prepared to help your child sort all the fruits and veggies that they collect before you leave this room.
Tinker Space Room- great for all ages (especially older kids)
Tinker Space is a room where kids can do a few different activities. The most popular is to make your own ramp/track and then run a ball through. They have perminant “starting points” which use gravity to start the ball down the ramp. These starting points are up higher and kids reach with a step. You connect various pieces of track together and see how far your ball can make it down the track (think Thomas the Train wooden tracks you put togehter, but with a ball instead of a train). The second part of the room is focused on building. They have various sizes of Legos and other building toys. These are, mostly, for ages 2+ and help kids with coordination skills and imagniative play. The third activity in the room looks like the inside of a space shuttle. Kids can play on keyboards and look at t.v. screens while they pretend to be astronauts.
Ready Vet Go! Room-depends on your kids interest in pets and veterinary medicine. This room is set up like a veterinary hospital. Kids who love pets and animals will want to play in here for a long time.
There are:
- “patients” who are various stuffed animals
- doctors coats
- x-rays on the wall
- a reception desk for kids to check animals in and out of the hospital
Small Wonder Room -ages 2 and under are allowed
This is a great room to let the little ones climb and explore. Children 2 and under love the ramps and the pretend play aspect in this room. The tough thing is if you have two children of different ages, what to do with the older child. You have to remain with the little on in the room and the older child pretty much just has to watch. The great thing is if you are with a friend, you can split up:.
ArtWorks Room- great for young artists, as well as, scribblers
This room has a large variety of things for young artists to use.
They can:
- use various types of paint
- cut
- glue
- tape
- staple
- apply their own facepaint
Kids love the facepaint! It is a little difficult to apply, but the great news is that it really comes of easily with just a baby wipe or water. Even the red paint didn’t stain the kids skin. If your kid is a budding artist they will love this room.
H2Oh! Room- great for walkers on up- be prepared to get wet
Kids get to play with water…what won’t they love.
They can :
- play with boats and ducks
- create linking pipes to make the water flow through
- playing with squirting toys
- watch things sink or float
Be prepared to get a little wet. Aprons and towels are available but the smocks are really only one size and if your child is younger, they won’t fit as well and will most likely get a bit wet. You may also get wet by some mis-sprayed water!
Shadows Room -Special Room inside the water room–Don’t miss it!
This little room is curtained off in the corner of the water room and if you aren’t looking for it you could miss it. Older kids have a blast hitting the red button, running up against the wall and posing to see how many different ways they can create cool shadows. Not so great for the 1 year olds but 2 ½ and up will love it.
Lego Room- great for the little builders and older serious Lego builders.A must if your child is into Legos
This room has different size Legos and Duplos available to build with and also has giant under water themed structures built out of Legos.
Amazing Airways- do not miss- kids LOVE this
This contraption is located in the Lego room against the far wall. It is a series of connected tubes with air flowing through them. Children can insert a colorful scarf into the tubes and watch them zoom around inside and the shoot out. They never get bored with it! It is fun for adults too.
Tips:
- You can bring a stroller in
- You can pack a lunch or snacks to eat in the picnic area.
- Be aware of weekends and school holidays. It can get crowded.
- If you are there on a busy day, start at the back and work your way to the front.
- Coupons can be found in a few locations (Entertainment book, Groupon occasionally, some magazines)
- Wonderscope follows the Shawnee Mission School District weather-related closings.
If you like Wonderscope – check out KidScape at the Johnson County Museum