The Best Time to Visit the Perot Musem (and…How to Get a Free Kid’s Ticket!)

Both of my kids are at fascinating ages. They are so interested, and curious, and absorbed in the world around them – it can be inspiring to view the world through their eyes, answer their questions (LOL – I mean, let Google answer their questions because I actually have no idea how electricity *really* works, thankyouverymuch), and share new experiences with them. 

It’s just so fun to watch them get excited and experience new things.

I’ve partnered with Frito-Lay 2 Go to share news about an exciting new partnership between Frito-Lay 2 Go and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. All opinions are my own. Read on to learn  how to get a free museum ticket to your local ASTC museum for your child!

One of our favorite things to do in Dallas is visit the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. We visit several times a year, but it’s always a new experience. Every time we go, there’s a new exhibit to see, or a section of the museum we didn’t get to check out on our last visit. It’s like a never-ending scientific wonderland for the curious.

My favorite thing at the Perot Museum, which is an ASTC museum in Dallas, is the dinosaurs. DINOSAURS, you guys. So cool.

What I noticed on this visit, that I hadn’t seen last time, is that Jack’s reading ability has improved so much this year he’s actually able to read the exhibit signs and participate in the interactive pieces of the museum that require reading skills. Do you know how awesome it is for me to see him stopping at an exhibit, reading about it, and then excitedly telling me what he’s learned?!

Frito-Lay 2 Go (FL2GO) and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) have paired up and are offering free kid’s passes to your local ASTC museum now through June 5, 2016, with the purchase of a Frito-Lay 2 Go 20ct Variety Pack (look for a pack that has an astronaut, robot, or dinosaur on it to get your free pass). Here’s an example of one:

Get complete details on how to get your free ticket at the bottom of this post!

FL2G and ASTC are encouraging youth (and their parents!) to explore and become engaged in the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). STEM is a huge buzzword right now, and with good reason – one study shows that STEM jobs are expected to grow almost twice as fast as other industries by 2018…and yet, only 16% of today’s high school seniors are considering a STEM career. So basically, get your kids engaged in STEM activities and encourage their curiosity and they’ll have a job when they’re older! Or at least, that’s what I’m banking on. 😉

When we arrived at the museum, there were several schools there for field trips loading up to go home. It made me think about A) what a feat it is trying to herd entire classrooms full of children through a large museum (spoken with experience as I was recently a chaperon on Jack’s first grade field trip, and OMG – I needed a cocktail when I got home), and B) how IMPORTANT it is for schools – all schools – to bring their kids to a museum like this. Every kid should have access to the information, inspiration and experience of a really great museum – it really is a way to see an entire new world right in your own backyard. And yet, so many kids don’t get to experience things like this!

So, with all that said – ASTC, with the help of FL2GO, has launched a program called Fund-A-Bus that supports transportation expenses to visit museums and science centers. I think that’s important, and awesome, and wanted to share.

I mentioned that we arrived right as the schools were all leaving. In my experience – after visiting many occasions, on many different days and at many different times – this was the best time to visit the Perot Museum. We got there right at 2pm. The museum closes at 5pm, and we spent a couple of hours wandering through a quiet, uncrowded museum. The kids got to participate in every interactive exhibit they wanted, without having to wait in line and without me having to rush them to hurry up because people were waiting.

(This might change during the summer, though!)

We spent a good deal of time with the dinosaurs, because we all love the dinosaurs. But the kids also got to race a cheetah in the sports hall, experience an earthquake (as a born-and-raised Californian, I actually *was* able to answer all of the kids’ gazillion questions about earthquakes),  and ogle the Star Wars toys in the Eye of the Collector Exhibition (although, to be totally honest, Jack said, “This is kind of disappointing, Mom,” when he realized there was only one Star Wars collection – he expected the entire hall to be filled with Star Wars toys, ha!).

Here are more details on how to claim your free kid’s ticket to your local ASTC member science center.

• Now through June 5, 2016, get a free kid’s ticket to your local participating ASTC member science center with the purchase of a Frito-Lay 2 Go Variety Pack – look for a variety pack with an astronaut, robot or dinosaur.
• Find a list of participating ASTC museums here (click on “promotions”).
• Follow Frito-Lay on Facebook here and follow Association of Science-Technology Centers on Facebook here for updates and more info 

Do you have a kid that loves science? Check out these fun science projects for kids that you can do at home!

Here’s a quick, one-minute snapshot of some fun moments from our visit to the Perot Museum. I hope you enjoy!

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