Mind Museum

The first time I went to the Mind Museum was one of the first adventures with the Syanang Syalen, my group of friends who just love visiting museums. I found the museum unique because it allows visitors to touch and play with the exhibits (yes!), making science more personalised and relatable. Naturally, when I learned that Leonce and Chantal were bringing their 11-year old daughter, Myra, with them on their brief trip to the Philippines, I just had to include the Mind Museum in our list of places to visit. Val preferred a visit to Art in Island but it's out of the way from the other places we were visiting the day we were going to Metro Manila. 

And just like during my first visit, I zeroed in on Museum Rule No. 2: "Don't lose your adult." I knew that this was going to be a difficult rule to follow because Val tends to browse while I immerse in exhibits in a museum. 

It turned out to be a non-issue because the hands-on exhibits caught his attention as well. For instance, while I was looking at this Lion King-like exhibit, Val was crouching low underneath it, attempting to guess the animals lurking in hidden boxes based on the textures of their fur or skin. The unknown was pretty unnerving, which made for a suspenseful few minutes.

After our visit to the different animals, we dove deeper into their cells. A blown up model of the animal cell was on display, with the various organelles labelled and defined. Not very interesting for me because I've learned this in high school- and uni-level Biology class.

The exhibits became interesting again when we delved into Physics. Filtering white light led to light beams with different colours.

The beats of different songs made water dance inside a bowl. Different notes on a kulintang resulted in music associated with traditional dances. Interrupting a laser beam on a staircase led to very musical whole-step ascents and descents (only the white keys on the piano staircase).

Mirrors made for interesting patterns using reflection. Put these mirrors and blocks into a tube and we had a kaleidoscope.

A family challenge soon came up: A laser beam can only be directed onto a target via a straight line. To make the laser beam follow a curve and reach our target, we had to point the mirrors the right way. It took a few minutes of fiddling but we certainly succeeded.

Then there's the static electricity experience. I touched a metallic ball while electricity was passed through it. I didn't feel any shock but my hair stood up... literally! The experience worked for me because I have long wavy hair. When Myra tried it, her hair did not stand up so much because it's curly and with braided extensions.

It was a great experience for young and old alike. Our three hours of science fun and learning came to a close too fast for my taste. There are other places to visit and so little time; it was time to head out and explore.