Saturday marked our third visit to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, and I’m happy to say that we all LOVED it finally! Here’s how each of our three visits went…
Visit #1 at 11 Months Old
My husband and I first brought our daughter, Laila, to Stepping Stones on a Saturday in November. We borrowed our library’s “Buy One, Get One Free” Admission Pass, and admission is free for children under 1. Laila wasn’t walking yet, so we headed straight to Tot Town. Laila enjoyed playing, but I was underwhelmed; it was so crowded, and most of the toys and books looked like they had seen much better days. After about an hour in Tot Town, we walked around to see what else the museum offers, and we agreed that Stepping Stones would be a lot more fun as Laila gets older.
Visit #2 at 14 Months Old
Laila and I invited our friends to meet us at Stepping Stones for a play date. The museum’s online Calendar of Events lists “Zelda the Zany Owl” and “Boogie, Bop, Skip, and Hop” back-to-back on Friday afternoons, and I thought that these two “classes” would be fun for the kids. As it turns out, Zelda isn’t a class; she’s just a woman dressed in a purple “owl” outfit, sitting at a table in Tot Town, so we skipped it. However, BBS&H had the kids dancing, and Laila never needed an excuse to dance! Before and after BBS&H, the kids enjoyed the time they spent playing together in Tot Town and then briefly exploring the rest of the museum.
Visit #3 at 18 Months Old
When I found this Groupon deal for ten visits*, my husband and I agreed that Laila is at a good age to give Stepping Stones another try. On a sunny Saturday, the crowd was mild, significantly impacting our overall experience.
Another big difference this time was that Laila was old enough to play in the water lab (on her tippy toes!). I’m pretty sure that she could have played there all day. If you visit, dress your child in water-friendly shoes and bring a change of clothes… I’m so glad we did; Laila was soaking wet!
After the Water Lab, we played in Express Yourself and Healthyville. These exhibits are only a few months old, and Healthyville is only temporary (open until Labor Day). In Express Yourself, Laila loved the life-size “Lite-Brite” and playing the drums to the music. For older kids, there are building activities, a reading nook, and the opportunity to “express yourself” on camera. In Healthyville, Laila played with the fruits and vegetables in the market, and we did a little exercise. For older kids, there is a Doctor’s Office and a Dentist’s Office to explore, and there is so much to learn about the human body and making healthy choices regarding food and exercise.
I’m so excited that we can finally enjoy so much more of what Stepping Stones has to offer, and I know that we’ll only enjoy it more as Laila gets older (there is still a lot that she is too young for). I’m also really excited that I found the Groupon deal, and I hope that someone reading this post also lucks out 🙂
*If that Groupon link doesn’t work, search Groupon for “Stepping Stones.” As of Saturday night, they have four deal listings running, and each listing has the option for passes for 2, 4, or 10 visits.
My oldest loves SS, especially the water zone. It can get crazy crowded especially when camps and schools do field trips there – yikes! We have a family pass there and our sitter takes the girls for play dates and sometimes when the weather is bad (although that is usually a recipe for crowds too). When she takes them first thing in the morning when it opens, she says that it usually isn’t too crowded until they are ready to leave.
I think we’ll join when L is a little older, and it’ll probably time right with us using up the rest of our visits from this Groupon deal.
It’s so crazy what a difference a crowd makes… Personally, I’d rather spend a couple of sunny summer hours indoors, then get trampled by 1000 crazy kids (my daughter included) on a cold winter afternoon, haha 🙂