As a mom to two silly, active boys and a wife to a man who will (thankfully) always be a kid at heart, there are days when I feel like I'm the ringmaster of a circus! However, actually acting as one at the Children Museum of Indianapolis' new exhibit, The Circus Starring You!, is my kind of fun. Trust me, you'll want to jump on the bandwagon and check this exhibit out with your circus troupe.
The Children's Museum never disappoints - they just know how to rock their exhibits! It's awesome to be in a place where you can just let loose and clown around. From dressing up in fancy costumes for pretend play, to learning and performing new tricks and checking out the many items on display from the real circus, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Here's what you can expect to find under the big top:
At the museum entrance: A clown car, of course!
At the exhibit entrance: A true bandwagon
On the second-floor of the main atrium: Circus-themed activities to test your balance and other performance skills
And for the main exhibit:
Ring 1:
Try to fit your crew in a clown car, ride on a unicycle, pretend you're a human cannon ball, hula hoop your heart out and lift a 10,000 pound barbell with ease! On the side wall, you can also learn about the various types of clowns, create your own clown face and email the photo to yourself as a keepsake.
Ring 2:
This one is tricky! Test your skills by trying your hand at the rolla bolla, hanging from a lyra hoop or walking the virtual tightrope. Although the tightrope was a popular attraction as exhibited by the line of kids and adults who wanted to try, this was worth the wait as it was my son's favorite part and neat to watch. He thought it was so cool to try the virtual reality goggles that made it look like he was up high in the sky!
Ring 3:
Get into the act! Try on a variety of costumes, practice juggling, act like a lion tamer, and even do ladder tricks with your crew. The performer in you will shine here as you just can't help but get into the fun.
In addition to all of this, there are beautiful costumes and other interesting pieces of circus memorabilia to view, and of course the magic touch of having some live actors in the exhibit to do magic tricks, etc. For special events there are rings in the larger atrium, and we were able to see an incredible performance by a woman who was an actual circus performer. She was incredible!
Visiting this exhibit brought back great memories for our 4-year-old as he loved attending the real circus last year and being able to be part of it himself this time around was definitely something worth experiencing. Step right up, and you're sure to have a wonderful time!
Macaroni Kid Johnson-South Indy publishes a free weekly e-newsletter that informs parents of family events and activities especially for kids in Johnson County, Indiana and south side Indianapolis. This includes the communities of Southport, Homecroft, Greenwood, Franklin, Center Grove, Whiteland, New Whiteland, Trafalgar, and surrounding areas.
