AdventureDad

During Daniel’s summer visit to Mexico he visited the fantastic Museo del Papalote. It’s actually not a museum . Think of it as an educational but fun amusement park for small children.  And most of it is indoors.  Sandra had showed me photos and and told me how great it was so I wanted to see the place as well. I went there with the twins, their nanny, Sandra’s mom and a couple of other extended family members, Paola, Brenda, and Martha.  Daniel simply loves this place. There are many areas, each with a basic focus.  Like science, animals, water and bubbles, sand, music, balls, and of course also a large playground.  At first the kids went kind of crazy because there are so many fun things around but after a while they got more patient and started exploring the different areas.  Pushing a button and actually seeing the air in a large balloon being warmed up by a butane flame was an early favorite for Daniel.  After a short rise up towards the high ceiling the balloon would  slowly drift lower as the air got cooler.  I’m sure he had little idea of why the balloon went straight up but he could not get enough.  He kept saying "mas, mas!"

Seeing thousands of small plastic balls and throwing them into a basket surrounded by water was also a hit.  But we need to work on his throwing skills:-))  His range is anything from an inch to five yards but there is no telling what direction the ball will take.  There was a large sandbox complete with all kinds of appliances which the twins liked.  Probably because a sandbox for kids is extremely uncommon in this city. Daniel sees one  virtually every day and wasn’t very interested.  There is a small section with animals where you see eggs and newborn chickens.  They are just so cute!!  Daniel was amazed by this since he likes eggs and usually "helps" out in the morning making them.  It must have been confusing seeing the eggs right next to the chickens.  Luckily they had another  of his favorite animals, turtles.  I don’t know why he likes them so much but every time he sees them he gets excited ans starts babbling.  These were young tiny turtles and they lived in a large round aquarium.  You could see the small turtles from top or stick you nose against the aquarium below the water level.  Very popular. 

There is a movie by Tom Hanks that I really like.  I know it’s old and a bit childish but it’s a good laugh.  I think it’s called "Big".  In this movie there is a scene from a department store where he starts to play on a giant piano which sits on the floor.  I believe he even has a jam session with the owner of the place.  Anyway, at Museo del Papalote they’ve got one of these pianos.  I was at least as excited as Daniel who at first failed to see the interesting point with a piano on the floor.  But after daredevil Ander showed the way he got the point.  Daniel has just learned how to jump and is so far not very graceful to put it mildly.  He looks like an adult after a bottle of Tequila and eight beers when he jumps.  And he’s equally happy.  It’s the first time I see one of these pianos anywhere.

There is a large room where all you do is blow soap bubbles.  Blow is actually not the right word.  Many of the bubbles  are larger than a kid and there is no need to blow.  You simply move a metallic bar/ring and the huge bubble forms.  Ander was all over this area while Daniel looked more hesitant. Ander is more adventurous, actually crazy, than Daniel who prefers to look at things for a while before he tries them. The reptile area was a little on the advanced side for a two year old.  But at least we got to see some stuffed snakes but not Daniel’s favorite, large hairy spiders.  I hate spiders but Daniel is fascinated by them.  The interest in snakes probably comes from watching the jungle book.  He simply loves this movie.  About 20 minutes of watching and relaxing before sleeping is part of our current bedtime routine.

The ultimate area for Daniel and the twins were the cars, motorcycles, and tricycles.  There is an old ambulance, a firetruck, a postal car, and around them you’ll find what looks like a small mini highway complete with street signs.  The kids got a choice of motorcycle, tricycle, or car and you move by simply using your feet, Flintstones style.  And the kids can change vehicles whenever they feel like it.  For a two year old it’s almost too good to be true.  Daniel loves cars and trucks so it was very hard to get him away from here.  After riding for a while the kids sat in the firetruck, put on a helmet, and rang the bell (it was an old truck).  Then back to riding again.  After 45 minutes I had to use all my child whispering power to get him away from there.

We only stayed for  a few hours but that was enough to briefly explore most of the place.   If you’re in Mexico City with your children and need to kill some time and have the kids run around, then this is the place.  It’s an amazing place and something your kids will remember for a long time.

Next up in our Mexican adventure, we head down to Ixtapa to relax in the warm weather and AdventureDad get violently ill!

Categories: Family, Travel
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