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[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"39684","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","alt":"Katie Blog 1"}}]]This post was written by Children's Museum Blog Ambassador Katie White! Follow Katie's posts on the blog or follow her on Twitter @katieunscripted.
One of the things I love about The Children’s Museum is that my tween daughter Alaina loves it just as much as my toddler. She may not love splashing in water or pouring sand all over the ground in Playscape like her baby brother, but she does especially love this Halloween season at the museum.
Alaina’s kind of a Halloween-crazed kid. She has always started planning her Halloween costume promptly on November 1st each year. And for as long as I can remember, she has always spent her summer reading points from the public library on a ticket to The Children’s Museum Haunted House before anything else—even as a 12-year-old, seventh grader!
Last year I took her and two of her friends to the Defender Direct’s Frightening Hours (recommended for kids who dare to be scared) for the first time. They had so much fun (I did too!) that they decided to go back together this year, and every year after as a tradition. But because of a scheduling conflict, the only time they could go was during the Williams Comfort Air's XTREME SCREAM (recommended for teens and adults).
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Can I tell you how much fun it was just to watch these three psych themselves up (or out!) to go to a “real” haunted house?! And as a parent who is a bit cautious about “adult” haunted houses in Central Indiana, I was thankful that I could confidently send my tween daughter to a haunted house at the same museum my toddler runs around till he drops.
The result? They had a blast! They were scared to death and have talked about it daily since their visit. But they felt safe since they were in a place they’ve grown up playing in. I think that’s one of the reasons they had so much fun.
I love that a children’s museum in my city can offer seasonal events that will capture the hearts of every one of my four children—from ages 1 to 12. From the Black Hat Bash, where our entire family dressed up in costumes, ate great food, and played all over the museum, to the Creepy Carnival Haunted House, where my littles can walk through with lights on and smiling greeters in each room offering treats, or at XTREME SCREAM, where my big can be scared until she “maybe peed my pants just a little bit.”
Still wondering what level of fright is right for your family? Learn about all of the Haunted House scare levels in this blog post and infographic.
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