If we asked you to choose just one place in Paris created by and for families, there's a good chance you'd have mentioned the Cité des Sciences, with, at its heart, the Cité des Enfants, a little paradise of discovery for children aged 2 to 12.
With its sensory trail organized around several themes to awaken, test, experiment, make and learn... Two areas are available, depending on your child's age: from 2 to 7 years old, for the youngest, and from 5 to 12 years old, for the oldest! In the latter, you'll discover different universes, with water games, an immersion in the heart of a factory, you'll go behind the scenes of a TV studio, discover all the superpowers of your body... The great news is that your children are completely autonomous at the Cité des Enfants: everything is designed for them, at their level, and they don't need any help from an adult to do it. It's a chance to explore, experiment and marvel independently (and under the watchful eye of their carers, of course).
One of our journalists tells you all about her experience on the 2-7 years course.
Watch the video :
Accompanied by my two future Einsteins, aged 4 and 6, we tried out the 2-7 exhibition. Fun and instructive, this interactive trail is divided into 5 themed sections, each made up of various islands:
To develop their ability to learn, young children need to discover themselves and build their physical, psychological and social identity.
The "I'm discovering myself" theme comprises the following 5 islands:
1.My body
"My body" is all about self-image. Here, your child will examine himself from every angle: in pieces or as a whole, from behind or in profile, on a screen or in relief. They'll also hear the sound of their own voice in a way they've never heard before.
2. My abilities
"My abilities" helps your child to develop his or her sensory abilities and to become aware of the difficulties experienced by disabled people deprived of one or more of their senses. Here, your child will put his senses to the test and put his flexibility to the test.
3. My emotions
"My emotions" guides children to identify and recognize their own emotions and those of others, so they can communicate with them. The little huts they enter represent common emotions: joy, fear, anger, sadness...
4. Growing up
"Growing up" makes them aware of how their size changes over time, and in relation to other objects and people. As in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", your child can measure himself against a series of different-sized objects.
5. Mon entourage
"Mon entourage" helps children build their social identity and personality. Using multimedia, he creates a virtual character that he watches live and grow, surrounded by his loved ones.
By manipulating objects, words and symbols, children gradually develop their ability to understand their surroundings. The games on this island stimulate and enrich their cognitive faculties.
The "Je sais faire" theme comprises the following 6 islands:
1.Ball machines
By playing with ball machines, your child anticipates their path and develops the ability to establish the link between an action and its result: a ball placed here will come out there.
2. The special ship (new December 2017)
In this area, children work around a large "special ship" to repair it, tinker with it, decorate it and operate some of its components. It's all about doing it yourself, using your skills and inventiveness, and cooperating with others where necessary.
- Building and repairing
At the back of the structure, children add or remove decorative parts using tools (screws, screwdrivers, wrenches). On the front, they open and close spaces with different types of buttonholes to repair the hull.
- Decorating
They decorate the wheels of the Special Ship with two digital drawing stations on which they can draw freely or select motifs and colors. Once their choice has been validated, their creation is projected onto the wheel in monumental fashion. The projection is interactive and reacts to the children's movements.
- Acting on machines
A machine room inside the Vaisseau spécial encourages children to interact with wheels, pulleys and gears in a variety of ways:
- Piloting
On the bridge of the craft, a steering wheel and two telescopic sights invite children to become captains of the Special Ship. In the cabin below, they manipulate the controls on a large dashboard, adapting their gestures to the shape of the button. Part of the dashboard lights up when a child closes the right electrical circuit. A periscope lets them see what's happening on deck.
- Imagining - Drawing
Workbenches set up around the special Vaisseau offer activities linked to the different stages of construction. By discovering the engineering approach and the stages involved in building an object, children learn about planning and logical reasoning:
For young children, exploring and appropriating space is inseparable from mastering their body, language and the notion of time. All these skills contribute to their intellectual development.
The "Getting my bearings" theme comprises the following 5 islands:
1. Le parcours des petits
To acquire good motor skills, your child uses his or her body to explore space: crawling, advancing, retreating, crawling, etc.
2. The big course
With the same aim in mind, this more challenging course is strewn with amusing pitfalls that children overcome with great pleasure.
3. The labyrinth
In this labyrinth, with walls low enough to keep children fearless, they have to find their bearings, find their bearings and find their way out.
4. The big folds
Here, children manipulate simple geometric shapes to create volumes of their own size in which they can nestle.
5. The right point of view
This game involves adopting the right point of view to see the shape of an animal appear, based on the principle of anamorphosis.
Children build their individual and social identity by observing, copying and opposing others. That's why contact and exchange with peers are essential to their development from an early age.
The "All together" theme is divided into 3 main areas:
1. Le chantier des petits
Dedicated to 2-3 year-olds, this site encourages youngsters to work together to build a house. Wearing helmets and vests, children can imitate, confront, communicate and organize each other.
2. Le chantier des grands
Aimed at 4-7 year-olds, this more substantial site lets children transport bricks in wagons, assemble them using a crane, and get organized to build a house.
3. The circus
With this beautiful device, children operate circus acts (tightrope walker, balancing act, shadow theater...) and compose a poetic show together, which they share and give to see and to adult spectators.
Children are tireless questioners. Curious, they want to know the names of things and understand the phenomena they observe. This space, where they experiment, introduces them to the scientific approach.
The "I'm experimenting" theme comprises 3 large islands:
1. Water
Your child plays with water, discovering its properties: it flows, can have different pressures and set systems in motion.
2. Air
Your child can discover this impalpable element through experiments that arouse his or her curiosity: air can be felt, but not seen, and can be used to animate objects.
3. Shadows
Your child learns about certain properties of light and shadow by manipulating objects, creating dark or colored shadows and making them grow or shrink.
In this way, among many other things, children were able to awaken their sense of smell, admire themselves in distorting mirrors, put themselves in the shoes of Goldilocks by testing chairs, coats and bicycles of all sizes, create their characters on touch screens and insert them into the playground. From puppeteer to garage mechanic to construction worker, all hats were good.
The exhibition runs in hour-and-a-half sessions at set times, and it's fair to say that time flies when you're having fun. The Cité des enfants is open every day except Monday, but you'll need to reserve a slot when you come (at 9:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 on weekdays during school terms, or at 9:30, 11:15, 13:15, 15:00 and 16:45 on weekends and vacations). Admission is €13 full price, €10 concessions per person. The Cité des enfants is accessible to people with reduced mobility, who also benefit from free admission.
To get there, take metro line 7 (Porte de la Villette or Corentin Cariou stop), tramway T3b (Porte de la Villette station) or bus lines 71, 139, 150 and 152, getting off at Porte de la Villette station.
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Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Location
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie
30 Avenue Corentin Cariou
75019 Paris 19
Access
Metro: line 7, Porte de la Villette station. Bus: lines 139, 150, 152, Porte de la Villette station. Tramway: T3b, Porte de la Villette station.
Prices
Enfant de 2 à 5 ans: €3.5
Tarif Réduit: €10
Pein Tarif: €13
Recommended age
From 2 to 12 years old
Official website
www.cite-sciences.fr
Booking
billetterie.cite-sciences.fr
