NEMO Science Museum

There is no way my family could visit a city with a world-renowned science center and not visit. Us not stopping at NEMO would be like us not eating our way through the Albert Cuyp Market - impossible.

 

There were pulleys to work,

 bulbs to light,

compounds to identify,

and dikes to build.  The dike building area was probably the kids' favorite part of the entire museum.

Something like two-thirds of the Netherlands is subject to flooding, so flood control is important in the Netherlands.

Before you read on, 

be aware that this next bit is rated PG-13.

On the level of the museum dedicated to learning about the human body there was a "Teen Facts" area - dedicated to teaching kids all about puberty. It was the kind of thing you'd never, ever  see in an American science center. Parts were about the changes that occur during puberty, but quite a bit of it was about developing sexuality and sex. For example:

The directions on the French Kissing display read:

Feel like French Kissing?

1. Put your hand in a tongue.
2. Be as creative as you like!
3. Make it a beautiful sight!

Part of the display was for kids 12 and older. In fact, to get into that area you had to type in your birth year to get the gate to open. I can't post pictures of much of that area because, by American standards, the displays would be rated R  (masturbation, orgasm, birth control, etc.)

However, some parts were very informative. There were three curtained off areas called the Peepshow. In each booth kids could, according the NEMO, "learn about sex and sexuality without prying eyes or people who think they know better."    As a learning tool for kids whose bodies are changing and feeling things they've never felt before, it was really well done. If you want to read the signs, click on them and they'll get big enough for you to read the text.

We left the museum through the back and walked down the steps to the water. Such an interesting building...