When the lights go down and the museum closes…time to explore!!
by Waverly W. and Callum S., 10 years old
Waverly here! When I found out we were covering another Sleepover Night at American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), I knew it was going to be another awesome night of fun and adventure. I expected to have a journey, an exploration, to visit all continents, without leaving the walls of the museum. Not only did I expect it, but it’s what actually happened!
After checking in, we chose our sleeping spot and laid out our sleeping bags. It was so exciting to have the whole night ahead! We went down to the cafe for a little dinner and to plan out what we wanted to do from the choices on the program. There was a lot to choose from! We chose to go visit “Unseen Oceans” first. It was so cool right from when we stepped inside! And no, we did not get wet!! The ocean really is a whole different world. There is so much life in it that we never really think about! There was so much to look at, do and learn here and I’m so glad we chose to see this!
Do you know that scientists have discovered 250 fluorescence in over 250 species of fish? That’s just one fun fact you can learn in this exhibit. But it’s also really fun! There’s kinetic sand to play with and a really cool movie that takes up a whole wall – you will feel like you are actually in the ocean, it is so peaceful and beautiful!
Next we decided to go “back on land” to visit the Butterfly Conservatory, where hundreds of colorful and beautiful butterflies are flying free all over the room! Everywhere you look, there is a beautiful butterfly…and if you’re lucky, one might just land on you and pose for a picture!
We did some cool crafts and had fun wandering around the closed museum for a bit, had some delicious cookies at snacktime, and then went to see a live animal presentation. Do not miss this! You will learn a lot about animals and even see some amazing live ones, like this guy:
Time for my favorite part – exploring the fossils by flashlight! It is so fun and mysterious to wander around the dinosaur halls in the dark…
Everything is way more fun and adventurous in the dark! We are so lucky to live right here in NYC where we can literally play with dinosaurs while we’re learning all about them!
After that it was time to go back to the ocean…but this time, it was a 3D movie called “Oceans: Our Blue Planet” which was sooooo cool! You would not believe how close up they got to some of the most unique and unbelievable sea creatures, and the 3D made it even more amazing!
Callum here! I expected to plunge into a world of history and to see all sorts of sights I could never see anywhere else and that’s exactly what happened on Sleepover Night at AMNH! We explored all the exhibits after hours and got to do a lot more things than you’d be able to do on a regular day. I loved seeing the ocean on land! Kids should sleep at the museum because it was awesome, wonderful and cool – to be able to see all of this after hours is an amazing experience!
Back to Wave! What a GREAT experience it was to roam around and do all the fun stuff they had planned. If you have never done this, then you have to try it! And if you have already done it, then it’s time to go back like it was for us! I love AMNH in the daytime…but I love it even more at night! Sweet dreams for now!!
Thank you to American Museum of Natural History!
Learn more about Sleepovers here!
