Balloons go hand-in-hand with celebrations. Kids are all over them. So, it felt like a no-brainer to do our next playdate at the Balloon Museum. The Balloon Museum opened Let’s Fly in Atlanta this spring and runs through June 9th. They have more locations in the US and internationally.
Mary and I have done many, many Instagram playgrounds in our time, but this is a mix with an actual museum. Each room is designed by a different inflatable artist, and the entire experience is curated to show the versatility and playfulness of inflatable art. This meets the basic playdate review criteria: It’s something that the kids have never done before, and it provides a variety of sensory/cognitive/motor/social experiences.
The kids really didn’t know what exactly they were walking into. This wasn’t a play gym, or playground, and they weren’t creating art. At the same time, this wasn’t a quiet, white-walls art museum. While there were a lot of rooms that provided things to touch and interact with; there were just as many rooms where you couldn’t. Additionally, there were rooms where you could interact with the installations but you had to be gentle. There was a lot of “where are we going” and “what is this”.
The first negative (and we knew this going into it) was that this attraction is crowded. There were lots of people and families, all going room to room together. Many rooms are also dark, so keeping track of the kids amongst all the other kids wasn’t the easiest. At multiple points of the exhibit, we did have to queue in line.
The OT Part
From a sensory standpoint, the Balloon Museum provided an immersive experience with most pieces engaging the senses one way or another. A Quiet Storm utilizes smoke bubbles in a dark room with lasers and music. Another display called ADA had participants push an enormous, inflated ball covered with charcoal points that drew on the room’s white walls and floor. A visual piece titled Hyperstellar took up an entire room with a gigantic black ball pit in the center and had an additional light and audio/video show. Other installations like The Ginjos and Swing encouraged people to push and move the inflatables around. All these setups stimulated the sensory systems, addressing arousal level, self-regulation, as well as body and spatial awareness.
Rooms also played with light, sound, mirrors, color, and virtual reality.
At the end, there are some fun photo rooms that play with color, as well as an educational history of inflatables.
The Parent Part
It’s important to point out that it’s called The Balloon MUSEUM. While there are many interactive art installations with play incorporated, they still require proper etiquette and self-control. The juxtaposition of museums and balloons can be confusing for kids; but it provides us an opportunity to introduce them to art and to work on higher cognitive functions, like impulse control and decision-making.
While we kept our kids on a short leash and explained the rules and expectations of this art exhibit, other parents and kids did not. It was tricky for Mary to explain this to her son when he started to question or test boundaries. We saw other kids not adhering to the rules, and more often than not, they were reprimanded by the museum employees stationed in each room. In case you’re wondering, there are also signs posted that say:
Warning!
Please no jumping, kicking, or destruction of the artwork. We encourage you all to touch and play, but remember to be kind to the art.
Although it’s typical for kids to consider following what similar-aged children are doing, it doesn’t make it okay. If Mary scolded him, he’d ask, “Well why do they get to kick/punch/grab the display and I can’t?”.
To which the phrase, “Because there’s us and there’s everybody else,” was born. In other words, they can act however they want to. I am not responsible for them. I am only responsible for my kid and how he conducts himself. In this case, Mary required him to be respectful of the artwork and to be mindful of the people who came to admire it.
That being said, there were still plenty of times where our kids were touching everything, running into a room without knowing what they were supposed to do, and not being considerate of lines or taking turns.
Even in spaces where kids had full access (there was an inflatable igloo with giant balls in the courtyard at the exit), kids were acting very aggressive and not cognizant of their surroundings. I (Patti) personally get a little triggered when there are much older kids playing rough and seemingly unaware that my 5-year-old is in their wake. A teenager did a full running jump onto a 4-foot ball and pretty much kicked my kid to the ground.
We wanted to enjoy the Balloon Museum more than we did. It was fun, but much more stressful than we had anticipated. We took very few pictures of ourselves and got into angry mom voice on more than one occasion. The stress didn’t primarily come from our kids, but mostly from the behaviors of others. It’s really hard to appreciate an art-forward atmosphere when a random person roundhouse kicks an inflatable into your child. Especially worse because that random person was another parent. Took a lot of self-control not to go apesh*t on that.
Verdict: Proceed with Supervision.
The Balloon Museum is kid-friendly for sure, but it isn’t solely meant for kids. There are people on dates, creators doing photoshoots, etc. This means you will need to model and reinforce appropriate behavior.
- If possible, pick a time that might not be as crowded.
- Prep your kids with the basic rules and keep them on a shorter leash than usual if they are under 10.
- Do not bring a baby or a toddler, for your own sanity.
- Be prepared that some parents might not get the memo and let their kids do a free-for-all.
- Please respect the museum employees in each room. They really don’t want to referee your kids.
- If your kid is sensitive to bright, flashing lights, be careful. The Virtual Reality portion might also be hard if your kid is sensitive to motion sickness. You can skip that room if needed.
- If your kid is patient enough, read the titles and descriptions of each piece. This will reinforce that it’s an actual art piece and get them thinking about the artist’s perspective.
Catch more photos and video of our Balloon Museum playdate on Instagram @childish_advice.
Check out our other Playdate Reviews.
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