Thursday 31 January 2013

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The Competitive Side of Seattle's Pacific Science Center

Do you know what the best thing about visiting the Pacific Science Center in Seattle is? It's not all the educational opportunities that it presents your children, although there are plenty of those. Nor is the highlight any of the IMAX, planetarium, or laser light shows that are available for you to watch. It even gets better than the live science demonstrations and experiments that the Center puts on for it's patrons. No, the very best part about any visit to the Pacific Science Center is getting a chance to compete against your family....assuming you can find something you can beat them at.

Seattle Science Center games

I'm not sure that competition is exactly what the folks behind the Pacific Science Center were going for when they built it, but my family seems to have a need for there to be a winner, no matter what we're doing. I mean, we turned watersliding into a competitive event...you don't really think we'd have a problem competing over breakfast foods do you? 

Seattle Science Center
The idea is to choose a healthy breakfast. I'm pretty sure Lori's just trying to get at the pie.

The problem with competing with my family though, is that there's not very much I can win at. I didn't make the finals of the 3D Connect Four tournament...

Seattle Science Center games

...and I didn't even make it out of the qualifying rounds in the flexibility competition.

Seattle Pacific Science Center

In fact, not many of the physical stamina tests were going my way...

Seattle Pacific Science Center

Pacific Science Center Seattle

...and when I finally did make it to the finals of an event, it seemed I was at a distinct disadvantage.

Seattle Pacific Science Center
Never get in a hurricane simulator with somebody with long hair!

Of course, the events that I would probably do really well at, I wasn't even allowed to compete in.

Seattle Pacific Science Center fulcrum
Apparently it's "not fair" if you're heavier than the weight you're trying to lift.

However, when I didn't even make the finals of the cereal eating competition, I began to suspect that something was fishy...

Seattle Pacific Science Center

...and sure enough, a little investigation provided a picture of some game tampering that confirmed my suspicions.

Pacific Science Center Seattle
Let's see Dad find Mumbai if I erase India...

After confronting my kids with the evidence, I suddenly started to do much better in our little competitions.

Pacific Science Center Seattle

On the other hand, there's only room for one winner per event...

Seattle Pacific Science Center
I took out everything in the Orion constellation. She's never finishing this!

Written by Steve Pratt