On Thursday, our first day in San Francisco and my birthday, we took a trip to the Exploratorium. Before going there, I thought it would be a regular science museum (even with its name), interesting to me, but not so much to my sisters. Some people (Mom) think I never should have taken this view because of the name, but I’ve learned that names can be misleading. It’s a tactic many school-related things have used, giving something a name that makes it sound fun and interesting but turns out to be some long, boring assignment. My math teachers have recently taken to calling tests a “celebration of knowledge” or a “brain bash.” Whatever my doubts, the museum certainly lived up to its name.

The exhibits were basically cool or fun interactive anything. There was no particular order and sometimes no instructions telling us how it relates to science. We just went to what looked interesting. You could power a light bulb or a hairdryer with a giant wheel; watch your own surprise reaction in slow motion;  bounce water drops on a machine blowing air at you, and a whole variety of other things. At one point, we walked past the lab where scientists design and make new exhibits. What a fun job that would be!

 I think my sisters’ favorite thing was the magnetic sand. In one exhibit, there were large, strong magnets coming out of the ground. The magnets ended up in a tub full of sand. The sand stuck to the magnets and looked like hair. Nadia and Lanie compared it to hedgehogs. You could drop handfuls of sand and watch them stick, connect the two magnets with a strong bridge of sand, or feel the sand jump out of your hand onto the magnet. Nadia discovered that you could also make “hairstyles”. The Exploratorium was a great way to start our trip.