A Toy Story 3 experience at Leonardo’s Children’s Museum

There’s a great scene in the Pixar flick “Toy Story 3” in which Andy’s toys find themselves in the “New Toy Room” at the Sunnyside Daycare center. The toys eagerly awaited the children to arrive so they could be played with once again.

Turned out, the New Toy Room was where the youngest, loudest and most rambunctious of the Sunnyside kids played.

So, when the door opened, dozens of rowdy youngsters raced in, screaming at the top of their lungs. Within a few seconds, every one of Andy’s toys were being slammed against the floor, pulled apart or otherwise abused.

You can watch that scene below:

I’ve written all of that because last week I got to live a real life version of the Toy Story 3 scene with my 4 year-old grandson Solomon.

We visited the Leonardo’s Children’s Museum in Enid on Friday as my wife, Paula, was engaged in a conference at a nearby Enid school. Opened in 1995, Leonardo’s is located on the fringes of downtown Enid and features two floors of interactive displays geared specifically for elementary-aged children.

Leonardo’s offers displays about potential careers like plumbing, construction, energy, medicine, finance and more. Each display features a hands-on experience for visitors. There also is a two-story indoor playground and a massive 3-story tall “Castle” playground across the street.

In addition, it has a huge Thomas the Train set that kept Solomon occupied for a good 45 minutes.

Anyway, Solomon and I arrived just before the museum’s opening at 10 am. As we were walking in, I noticed a group of children getting off a school bus and entering through a different entrance.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but it was field trip day at Leonardo’s. Elementary aged students — maybe kindergarten through third grade — were waiting in an adjacent room to enter the exhibit areas.

Solomon was playing with a Lego’s exhibit when the doors burst open. Dozens of kids raced in, screaming in excitement. Within 30 seconds or so they were climbing, turning handles, pounding displays that provided tools, all while babbling loudly.

It was like deja vu all over again, because all I could see was that scene out of Toy Story 3. The decibel level was incredible.

Solomon was a little intimidated because he’s only 4, but continued to play with the Legos before we moved on.

We toured exhibits that show how oil and gas is extracted from the ground (sponsored by Koch Industries), how crops are grown across Oklahoma and displays that let you crank a generator that turns a wind turbine and actually powers a light display. Solomon even piloted an airplane on a computer game-like display.

As we waited for the elevator to take us to the second floor displays, a docent told us a bit about the museum’s history. She said it was 29 years old now, and had more than doubled the exhibit space with a multimillion dollar expansion about eight years ago that was funded by Enid-area donors.

Here are more details about the founding of the museum. 

After taking a lunch break around noon, Solomon and I returned so he could play on the outdoor playground. The young woman who served as playground gatekeeper told me that the museum staff is assisted by hundreds of volunteers who keep things going.

Solomon overcame some early playground hesitation and then joined dozens of other children climbing, sliding and exploring the upper floors of the massive Castle. When he discovered an area of the playground that featured a swimming pool-sized sandbox, it sealed the deal.

He never wanted to leave. Really.

But eventually, a teacher told the children that it was time to board the buses for the return trip to Okarche or Okeene or wherever their schools were located. Solomon was left with about a half dozen other kids, while I sat alone in the helicopter parent section.

That’s when I realized how abruptly the noise level dropped, too. So, I sat and enjoyed the quiet.

Toy Story 3 was over.