Gwacheon National Science Museum

David and I said on one of our first trips up to this area of Seoul that we needed to take the kids here.  Now, here it is, a week before we are set to leave, and I finally get them here! This is a huge science museum with lots of things to see and do, for all different ages.

Tesla coil

"A Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit invented by Nikola Tesla around 1891.  It is used to produce high-voltage, low-current, high frequency alternating-current electricity. Tesla used these coils to conduct innovative experiments in electrical lighting, phosphorescence, x-ray generation, electrotherapy, and the transmission of electrical energy without wires.  Tesla coil circuits were used commercially in sparkgap radio transmitters for wireless telegraphy until the 1920s, and in pseudomedical equipment such as electrotherapy and violet ray devices.  Today their main use is for entertainment and educational displays."  (Cool, huh? Yeah, I don't get it either... Thanks Wikipedia!)  

This was a cool driving simulator that showed delayed response times in different conditions of weather and alcohol consumption. 

This gadget swapped your vision to make you think your right hand was doing what your left hand was really doing. 

Lunch!  Jajangmyeon and Dolsot Bibimbap with some of our favorite friends. 

More dancing robots - these things were even better than the first ones we saw.

This was freaky and cool at the same time. You raced cars... 

...with your brain. 

You had to think about making the car move faster.

Crazy! 

They had several of these stations that you did different things, but the only thing that controlled the devices was your thoughts.

 

Way cool science museum!

Seoul National Science Museum

Our calendar for the last few weeks here is packed!  I think we have a field trip every week with our homeschool group.  Today we visited the Seoul National Science Museum which is geared toward kids.  It was great!

Hello Mr. Roboto.

Hard to see, but this is one of those interactive screens.  Tristan has water pouring over his head and off his shoulders. 

Koreans love kids.  This man is showing Naomi how to play these drums to make it light up and change colors. 

Riding an exercise bike to try to make the ball float. 

They had an awesome dancing robot show! 

Of course one of the songs they danced to was Gangnam Style. 

Light Volleyball. 

Naomi had disappeared when I was talking to a friend, and when I turned in the direction I heard her voice, this is what I found! 

This guy moved around and made realistic sounds. 

Dinosaur eggs hatching. 

Two of my favorite little bugs. 

On the train ride home these two insisted Grace and Tristan sit with them rather than stand.

Apaches, Blackhawks, and Chinooks, Oh My!

We have been so spoiled with our homeschool field trips here!  First it was getting to cly the Apache simulator, and in the last month we were able to fly the Chinook simulator and play around on a Blackhawk!  Needless to say, Tristan is in hog heaven.

While waiting for turns in the Chinook simulator, the kids all played different games.

And even made a new friend.

Tristan learning to play chess - Mario style

Grace up at the controls

The pilot giving lessons said Tristan was his best pilot that day.

I didn't get a chance to do the Apache simulator, so I tried this one.  Even though the motion was turned off, it still felt like you were really moving.

I called David to come over if he was able to, and he b-lined it out of the office.  This guy loves Chinooks!

 

Then this week's field trip was to go play on a Blackhawk.  I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to do the simulator for this one too - but the kids had a ball pretending to be soldiers on it!

Out little group.

 

We have had such a great experience with our first homeschool cooperative group.  We are very much looking forward to our next group and all the new experiences awaiting us in the Virginia/DC area!