I love serendipity.

New Year’s is a holiday that can be hard to explain to young kids.  After all, they aren’t usually welcome at midnight champagne toasts – and if they are, well, they tend to be a little on the cranky side.  I wasn’t sure what to do with Chet this year since we would be up in New England and more than a little jet-lagged.

And just as I was commenting it was too bad there wasn’t anything specifically for Chet to do, Heidi from the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire invited us to come check out their New Year’s Day celebration.

I’m so glad we did.

Outside of the fact that the event included make-your-own-New-Year’s-hats, a ginger ale toast and an early ball drop with glitter and confetti just for the kids – we were also free to roam the museum itself.  And I’m here to tell you, it’s a pretty incredible place.

Chet handles radar in the submarine.

Natives of Dover may remember this building as the Old Butterfield Gym.  Now it’s an incredible hands-on educational museum full of magnet building stations, a dancing green screen exhibit, the obligatory train table and Mindball.  And, I can’t forget the main attraction, the Yellow Submarine.  It was hard to get Chet out of it.  Or his Dad, for that matter.

The museum is definitely worth a visit even when there isn’t a big event going on.  (In fact, you might be better off without the crowds).  Young kids will have so much fun, they won’t realize they are learning stuff.  Parents will have to stop themselves from pulling other kids off exhibits so they can play, too (and to that one little girl:  I still say it was my turn to play Mindball and your Mom should have told you to give the strange lady a shot).

So next time you find yourself in the Dover area, make a detour to the Children’s Museum.  You’ll have a blast.

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Want to learn more about the great events being put on at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire?  Visit their Web site calendar or follow them on Twitter @kidmuseumnh.

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