GIVEAWAY: New humpback whales show at the science museum of minnesota.

*** Congratulations ESTHER KAISER! You are our winner! Please email us (minnesotababyinfo@gmail.com) with your address and phone number so we can confirm and get you your tickets. Thanks again for participating everyone! ***

There's two ways to enter for your chance to win:

1. "Like" the Minnesota Baby Facebook page, and share the contest post with your Facebook friends (you must click "share" under the "Science Museum and Omni Theater" contest post on our Facebook page).

2. Comment on this blog post (below) with your first and last name, along with the city and state you currently reside in. This contest is open to US residents only.

Two simple ways to enter, and if you complete both ways, you'll double your chances to win! You must enter by Monday, October 19th, 2015 at 8 p.m. (CST) to be eligible for a chance to win. One winner will be randomly selected to win 4 tickets to the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Omni Theater's showing of Humpback Whales. The winner will be announced on this blog. Good luck everyone!

Man, we haven't been to the Science Museum of Minnesota in such a long time. Now that we're back from Singapore (for GOOD!), we'll be making some regular visits. Yesterday, the 4-year-old and I made the trek from Victoria to St. Paul, to see the Omni Theater's brand new showing of Humpback Whales at the Science Museum. It was the first day of the MEA holiday weekend, so I was a little worried about how crowded the Science Museum would be, but other than parking it wasn't the chaotic place I was expecting.

4-year-old Linna learning about infants' vision.

Hands-on activity with a staff member of the Science Museum.

Just putting together some cells.

To my surprise, Linna sat through almost the entire showing of Humpback Whales. It was such a beautiful and educational show, and Linna asked questions throughout. "Why is the baby whale always by his Mama?", "Do the humpback whales eat those fish?", etc. She was full of excellent questions. The film showcased the world's largest mammals on their 10,000 mile annual migration. These animals were on the brink of extinction, and the film shows how people stepped in to save the world's population of humpback whales. We watched as humpback whales work together to trap and eat fish, how their mating act possibly happens (no one has ever witnessed the actual act of humpback whales mating), and how people work to rescue humpback whales from becoming entangled in fishers' nets. Although some parts of the film were pretty loud (tails splashing about in the water), Linna sat calmly through (almost) the entire film. It was such an incredible, up-close look at these amazing animals.

She loved the sound-effects of the sink set-up. Maybe now she'll do dishes at home:)

After the film, we went to check out the new Sherlock Holmes exhibit, and the rest of the Science Museum. Although I saw a lot of older kids enjoying the Sherlock Holmes exhibit, my 4-year-old wasn't very interested. It's a pretty dimly-lit, interactive exhibit, presented chapter by chapter, that makes visitors rely on their powers of observation and deductive reasoning. You can work by yourself, or as a team to figure out whodunit. We bumped into my friend and former co-worker, Emily Engberg, of Twin Cities Live during our visit, and watched her have some fun with a few of the older visitors in the new Sherlock Holmes exhibit. People really seemed to be enjoying it.

Linna and Em from Twin Cities Live.

Linna loved the hands-on activities in the Dinosaur & Fossils, and Math, Physics & Engineering exhibits on level 3. The live demonstrations were also very lively and educational. What I love most about the Science Museum is that it's very hands-on for kids. Parents/caregivers can sit back and relax while their kids independently explore, or take an active interest in what their kids are learning about. We can't wait until our next visit!