4 reasons to visit Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum for Spring Break

Living in Oklahoma with unpredictable weather can make planned outdoor activities tricky. The weather could be 70 degrees and sunny, but could also be freezing or really windy. Our recipe for success this time of year is finding somewhere with a great outdoor space for running and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, but that also has indoor option to escape the elements (or at least only be exposed to them in short bursts!).

Just a quick road trip away from metro OKC is the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, where we were pleased to find updated play spaces both indoors and outdoors. Located in Seminole, the drive was just under an hour and is perfect for an afternoon, overnight getaway or Spring Break destination. If you’ve been before, put it back on your “must visit” list! The museum has been recently updated and has brand new outdoor spaces that really enhance the whole experience. We spent every bit of 2 hours here and could have stayed even longer! Here are a few of our favorite details about the museum.

1. ACTIVE PLAY. After being in the car for a while, we headed straight outside. If you’re anything like our family, you can probably relate to the idea of sunshine and fresh air curing even the most intense of sibling feuds! Once we were through admissions and into the “backyard” of the museum, we were greeted with a brand new jungle gym and two-level pirate ship complete with a boat swing and net lounge area. My son got to work assigning pirate duties and roles to all of us, which was met with eager enthusiasm from little sister. 

   After the pirate crew ran and climbed to their heart’s content, my son was over the moon to find there were kid-sized zip lines! Races were had between dad and son, and little sis could even participate within the accessible chair track (guided closely by mom!).

2. BACK TO NATURE. We walked around the rest of the outdoor experience and were thrilled to come across a Children’s Garden, which included themed garden spaces, a pretend play greenhouse and farmer’s market and fairy garden build space. It was magical watching my daughter get right into the dirt and play.Directly next to the Children’s Garden is the Farmyard, which includes live animal spaces (chickens, goats and ducks), an animal meet and greet area, a pretend play mini farm and a kid and goat dual playground. Interaction with animals is such a great learning experience for kids, and my little toddler ate it all up. She “talked” with the animals and fell over giggling when they “responded!”While sister was busy with dirt and farm animals, my son (the musician) was enjoying the Sensory Garden, which includes musical instruments and a rain fountain, along with container, shade and pollinator gardens. Every musical instrument was tried, and every sign was read! It was fun reading and talking with the kids about how pollinators are so important to garden environments.
3. LOVED CLASSICS. After running around outside for a while, we decided to enjoy the museum itself. This was our family’s first time visiting the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, and it was such a treat! The “Main Street” of the museum is outfitted like a town, complete with a construction area, court hall, mechanic, theater, grocery store, fire station and so many more areas that set the stage for imaginative play experiences. Our kids are still young, but they didn’t need much explanation for how to fit into each “scene.” It was so fun to see them role playing and discovering along the way.There is also a real airplane cockpit kids can get into, a two-story climbing gym with slides and large water tables. I was also pleasantly surprised to find there was a baby and toddler area for kids who might not be big enough to enjoy the rest of the museum experience.
4. CALMING NOTES. Sensory Rooms are becoming a more common part of children’s play experiences, and I’m so glad! Even if your child doesn’t have textbook sensory challenges, every child needs a quiet and calm-down time. Being a little kid means learning something new at every turn! Add that to a totally new play space, and it can be really overwhelming.We saved the designated Sensory Room for last, which I highly recommend. The room is outfitted with pod swings, star lights, books and fidget and focus toys. After spending 2 hours running around buzzing with excitement, this was a total parenting win! We slowed our bodies and our minds before saying goodbye to the museum and loading back into the car.

Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum is constantly being updated and has many more new spaces coming soon! Look out for the Sand & Water Play area opening this spring, which will include an outdoor construction area with cranes, a mud kitchen and a waterfall stream and sand play area.

The Castle Maze is also being updated and will open this spring. It’s an impressive giant walk-through maze guarded by gigantic knights in armor. If you’ve visited before, this isn’t the same museum you might remember from the past! Be sure to add the Jasmine Moran museum to your list of Spring Break plans!

Kirsten Holder is a transplant from Michigan but calls the “land that is grand” her home. She graduated from Oklahoma City University and is passionate about the arts, community development and small business. She lives in a historic pocket in OKC with her young kids Jimmy and Millie,  husband Andrew and puppy, Roserock.