Looking for something fun but educational to do with your little one? Check out the Okanagan Science Centre in Vernon, BC!
All summer we’ve been playing at parks so this past weekend we were looking for something different and fun to do with our 15-month old. A quick search and we came across the Okanagan Science Centre on Okanagan Family Fun’s Website.
What is the Okanagan Science Centre?
The Okanagan Science Centre is a nonprofit, charitable organization located minutes within driving into Vernon, BC whose mission is to “inspire scientific inquiry through dynamic and interactive learning” (Okanagan Science Centre Website)
Within the Science Centre you have interactive displays featuring different topics - light, palaeontology, sound, space, energy, etc.
Favourite Displays
We took our 15-month old and these were some of her favourites:
Lumen Exhibit: She loved the changing lights and sound in the light dome and the interactive displays where she got to push buttons and lights would come on.
Robotic Arm: She loved pushing the various buttons that made the robotic arm move.
Space, Light and Sound Exhibit: They had a giant space ball wall that she enjoyed playing with and inside the Light and Sound Exhibit they had a Giant Lite Brite that she loved pulling the bottles out and putting them back.
Dino Dig Pit: She loves using a brush at home on the floor so visiting this was a clear obvious for us. She loved playing with the brush and the texture of the pit.
Discovery Zone: She wasn’t as into the Discovery Zone but it is worth mentioned because it’s a toddler friendly area where you can build a bag, play with locks and keyboards, build stuff with blocks. She enjoyed running around this area.
Some exhibits do rotate. For example, the Lumen Exhibit was on display from June 1 to September 4, 2023. However, they bring brand new exhibits in. The next feature exhibit will be open on October 1, 2023.
To see what is available you’re best to check out their website!
Admission
Toddlers under 2 are free and it’s $10 for an adult.
They do offer a yearly membership for $75 for a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 kids) which I think is perfect for the cooler months.
The membership is also cool in that you can use it at other science centres in Canada! For example, if you live here in Kelowna but you’re visiting Calgary you can visit the Telus Spark Science Centre, going to Vancouver check out Science World, Kamloops has the Big Little Science Centre. There are restrictions on benefits and how you can use the membership so for clarification and details check out the membership part of the website.
Good Age to Take Your Child
I feel 14/15 months would be the youngest I would take my child alone. I love that the displays are interactive so it taps into whatever developmental skill she’s working on. I’ve really noticed that she loves turning wheels, pushing buttons and brushing things so the displays were great and right up her alley.
Also at 14/15 months many toddlers are walking so they can interact with the displays and be mesmerized by the things making the admission worth it.
Although I say 14/15 months would be youngest I would take my child, if I was taking my older toddler then of course I would take my infant baby along. Certain exhibits they would probably enjoy such as the Space, Light and Sound Exhibit or the Discovery Zone.
Final Thoughts
I thought the Centre was great. It was a fun alternative to going to the park, it’s a perfect activity for days you can’t go outside and it’s educational and interactive for the little one’s. It’s also an affordable activity and the membership price for the year isn’t bad. Perhaps not this calendar year but I could see in the future getting the yearly membership. It’s definitely smaller than other science centre’s we’ve been to in bigger cities but I think it was still great.
I love science centres. The first science centre we ever went to was in Calgary when we visited the Telus Spark Scence Centre. It was very impressive and cool even for adults.
I recommend visiting the Okanagan Science Centre in Vernon, BC with your toddler if you haven’t visited yet!