The Smithsonian offers many exhibits and activities for kids.
With a collection of more than 142 million objects housed in several museums, ranging from art to fossils, the Smithsonian Institution boasts something for nearly everyone. You can prime your children -- and hopefully their enthusiasm -- for a visit by directing them to the website Kids Explore, Discover, Play (smithsonian.kids.us), where children will learn about such exhibits as Julia Child's kitchen, the Hope Diamond and the more than 3,500 artifacts from the Apollo Moon landing effort.
Learn About Airplane Anatomy
Kids preparing to visit the Smithsonian can learn all about the anatomy of an airplane by helping assemble Orville and Wilbur Wright's 1903 Flyer in an online interactive exercise. This exercise enables kids to put together a plane, learn the names of airplane parts and understand how the parts of a plane work together to enable it to fly. Other online activities teach kids about Arctic animals, buffalo hide art and the anatomy of the human body.
Catch an IMAX Film
What kid doesn't love larger-than-life film with state-of-the-art sound? The Smithsonian knows that most children love this, and the museum uses its IMAX film offerings to showcase live-action and computer-generated films on subjects such as the Hubble Space Telescope, tornadoes, evolution and the Grand Canyon. The Smithsonian IMAX theaters also occasionally show big-name films, such as "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." The IMAX theaters are included in the National Museum of Natural History, the National Air and Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Watch a Tarantula Feed
Kids can watch a tarantula eat lunch at the Orkin Insect Zoo, a special exhibit hall of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. In addition to offering daily tarantula feeding demonstrations, the insect zoo allows visitors to view, and in some cases touch and hold live insects.
Get in Touch With the Cosmos
The Smithsonian recently outfitted its Einstein Planetarium with a one-of-a-kind Sky Vision, dual-digital projection system, allowing those who enter it to feel as if they are hurtling through the cosmos. The experience is heightened through moving images and what museum officials call "spine-tingling sound." The planetarium regularly features full-dome productions, including "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity," and "Journey to the Stars."
