I always struggle with how to continue helping my kids learn over the summer.
I want them to have a break from the rigors of school. I don’t want to have a planned study time every day, or to make them do workbooks and flashcards. On the other hand, I don’t want them to forget what they learned during the year. I’d like them to exercise their brains and keep thinking!
So I was thrilled when we got a chance to check out the Mindbender Mansion exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The hall was filled with brain teasers and puzzles that required the kids to stop and think. They had to look at problems from different angles. They even had to (gasp!) work together to solve some of the puzzles.
Although the exhibit is one you can visit with a general admission ticket, we began by filing through a short line to the doors of the mansion. We showed our museum tickets and were ushered inside where we were greeted by a staff member who gave each of the kids a paper, showing them which puzzles to complete based on their abilities. My youngest got a list of easier brain teasers to investigate, while my oldest was recommended harder puzzles. We then watched a video featuring our host “Mr. E,” who explained the layout of the mansion, and showed us how to earn a place in the Mindbender Society. As the kids solved certain puzzles, they unlocked codes that they presented at the end, and then they were able to take a victory picture in front of the museum fireplace.
We worked our way through the mansion – beginning with the puzzlers in the parlor, and on through the kitchen, the rec room, the map room, and the library. The whole mansion had the feel of being in a game of Clue – definitely not scary, but quirky and slightly mysterious.
While I appreciated that the kids were using their brains to solve these puzzles, I was also impressed by the physical nature of each of the teasers. Children were working with blocks to form impossible-seeming shapes, or moving pegs around in holes, or sliding and twisting various pieces. They were jumping on letters to spell out words as fast as they could and pulling on levers to move balloons around.
I also appreciated that there were brain teasers for all ages. There’s a playroom for toddlers and preschoolers with puzzles just for them. For the older kids and adults, each puzzle had a symbol to indicate whether it was an easy, intermediate, or advanced problem to solve. My seven-year old did need help with a few of the problems, but we were able to figure them out together (and she solved a few that stumped me, to be honest!). If the older kids got stuck, there was often a docent or a helpful passerby who was willing to give them a hint. I also saw plenty of adults trying to work out the puzzles as well. I myself may have shrieked a little and jumped up and down when I discovered the solution to a particularly tricky horse mind bender. I’m not giving you any hints, either. I’d allow about two hours or so for Mindbender Mansion – possibly a little longer for older children and adults, and less for younger children. Mindbender Mansion runs from now through January 6, 2019, and is open during museum hours – 9am-5pm every day except December 25. Entrance is included with your general admission ticket to the museum. For details, visit Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
