Kansas Children's Discovery Center

Just the rainbow-colored glass panel building tells you there's fun going on inside the new Kansas Children's Discovery Center. Themed, hands-on activity pavilions include The Farm where kids work as a team gathering grain and running a mechanical harvest machine. The Careers Pavilion stocks costumes and tools of various jobs, including auto mechanic, veterinarian and chef. In the science area, kids explore natural weather phenomena, splash at a water table and conduct Petri dish experiments. The literacy pavilion exercises reading skills and introduces money management. Color-mixing and painting stations encourage tikes' creative expression in the art area. An army of friendly docents supervise all activities. There's a huge crafts room, theatrical stage and puppet theater. Big numbered lockers at the entrance make storage simple. Check the website for weekly programming and traveling exhibits. In fall 2012, the center plans to open an outdoor nature learning center appealing to older kids with climbing equipment, tree house, water features, dinosaur dig, rocket launching plaza and bicycle path through neighboring Gage Park. Admission charged; parking free.