By Karen Bloom
“We know that many families are looking to stay close to home this summer,” said LICM Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc.” The Big Adventure provides visitors with an affordable, adventure-filled experience that we are sure will become a ‘guess what I did this summer’ memory.”
Visitors step inside a life-sized, three-dimensional board game that tests their bodies physically and mentally. Each adventure area encourages children’s natural desires to explore and investigate as well as challenge their physical abilities in fun activities like a climbing wall, crawling tunnels and a balance beam. The experience involves planning ahead and mapping out the entire adventure in a large-scale road map of the game board.
It’s like being on vacation without leaving home. Kids climb mountains, forge rivers, dodge flying saucers and monsters in a child-sized plane, and follow a trail of dinosaur tracks through tunnels. While exploring Adventure Mountain and The Tunnels of Fun, visitors can climb a six-foot wall of rocks, crawl through dark tunnels and reach the Crow’s Nest to view the many adventures spread out below. From there, young guests can decide to be brave at Out On a Ledge, to discover what it feels like to be three floors up in the air and moving between buildings on a thin beam. Kids can dare to look down, where the firemen are ready to catch. But the challenge is for children to keep their balance and their smarts so they can make it safely to the other side!
Then there is the Virtual Flyer, a child-size airplane that can be flown with friends. Working together, the flight crew will dodge flying saucers, hot-air balloons, ducks and mountains.
Adventures include:
* Virtual Flyer – jump inside a kid-sized plane and dodge flying saucers, hot-air balloons, mountains, and even an oversized monster looking for dinner.
* River Crossing: Bridge Out! – Try to cross the river without getting “wet” or meeting up with some alligators by building a bridge using wooden planks, lily pads or cargo boxes.
* The Main Drag – Cross three different textured surfaces on your selected mode of
transportation, including scooters and wagons.
* Mt. Adventure – Climb the face of a “mountain” with the aid of handholds and footholds.
* Out On a Ledge – Keep your balance as you cross between buildings on beams that appear to be three stories in the air.
* Tunnels of Fun – Navigate the tunnels following a trail of dinosaur tracks and shoeprints, leading you to a “crow’s nest” where you can look out over all The Big Adventure.
* Great Adventurers – Learn about adventure “pioneers,” contemporary role models, and everyday adventurers that are just like us!
* Charlie’s Web – Test your navigation abilities as you weave your way through multiple 3-sided vertical rope mazes. Seems simple at first, but your task gets harder as the openings get smaller.
Adventure areas are designed to help visitors make “real world” connections and include opportunities for children with varying physical skill levels and interests. As kids navigate “The Big Adventure,” they choose from adventures that tempt them to solve problems, make decisions, use tools and set goals; key activities to foster self-esteem and self-confidence.
In “The Big Adventure,” the young adventurers use their own imagination, creativity, and physical ability along with found materials, to work their way through each of the hands-on challenges.
“The Big Adventure” was created by The Children’s Museum of Houston in collaboration with the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC). All “adventures” are free with regular admission.
The Big Adventure at Long Island Children’s Museum
Museum Row, Garden City.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission: $10 for adults and children over 1 year old, $9 seniors, free to museum members. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply. (516) 224-5800 or www.licm.org.
