Amman: The Children's Museum

Every country needs a children's museum (There might very well be one in every country for all I know), and every child needs to be able to enjoy them. I don't think I'll ever forget taking Z to this museum. His first museum visit (thanks to the pandemic) and it was at a time when we needed a new place to take him, besides the parks, and outdoor coffee shops, and my mom's place. And it did not disappoint. 

It's also incredibly afforadble. If you're a Jordanian resident, it's the equivalent of $4.25 per ticket, and for non-residents, just $7. Contrast that with $15 per ticket at our local kids' museum in Brooklyn.

It had places to play, places to learn, places to have a quick snack, places to crawl, and more. But the biggest attraction, literally, was the recreation of the front of a Royal Jordanian jet. I mean what kid doesn't want to put on a pilot's hat and climb onto the plane, then slide out of it, over and over again. Just pure joy. And it literally just hit me now, that I was watching him slide down what would be an emergency exit for that plane in case a disaster had struck. Man, I'm slow. But still, pure joy.

And there's plenty of science to learn about. From how to save water to wind power, the museum reflects the reality of living in one of the most arid countries in the Middle East.

My mom mentioned, to me for the first time, that somehow my dad was involved in the creation of the museum, in dealing with Japanese aid in its planning or construction. So that was a lovely bonus to think of Z having so much in place his jido (Arabic for grandfather) had a had in bringing it to life. NOTE to self: get the 411 of the full story of what dad's involvement was, next time we're back in Amman.