Sometimes it’s hard to find a weekend activity that satisfies six-year-old twins without boring the grownups to death, or vice versa. This is the problem in our family, as we often get together with my charming niece and nephew and their awesome parents. Last weekend, on a gray, dreary day, we decided to go to the New York Hall of Science to see if it could amuse us all for a few hours.

The NY Hall of Science is right on the old World's Fair Grounds. Extra educational!

Let me tell you something. We had a great time! Frankly, some of the math and science (never my strong suits) were even over my head, but we got to play with all kinds of toys and gadgets.

We used a lot of our change on this experiment. Anina liked just throwing the coins down the hole, instead of letting them circle the drain.

We watched a gross but fascinating dissection (beautifully and clearly presented by a young staffer)  of a cow’s eyeball, and a less-disturbing one about vacuums.

This is not a cow's eyeball. Haven't I grossed you guys out enough? This is a light-sensitive wall that you can do your best poses in front of.

We  learned about Piranhas (not so terrifying) and other (definitely terrifying) creatures of the Amazon River in a special exhibit.

This picture was taken right before I climbed in with Raphael, and we bumped heads. Tip: The observation bubble is big enough for one.

We also looked at stuff under microscopes and blew giant bubbles. The twins had fun with the bubbles for about 5 minutes. My husband and I hung around for another 10.

Nobody warns you that a huge bubble makes a huge soapy mess when it pops. Fun!

We capped the whole thing off with an hour in the gift shop, agonizing over what kind of souvenir to get. If anyone wants to get me anything, I’ll take the magical magnetic stone set, the grow-your-own-crystals kit, and the assorted stuffed viruses and bacteria. For some reason, E-coli cracked me up.

Isn't he cute?

There’s also a fantastic playground and mini-golf, which we would have enjoyed if it wasn’t raining. It’s ok- we’ll definitely be back for the giant bubbles…even if the kids can’t make it.

The giant Piranha is waiting for you to come visit!