Bodies, the Exhibit and children (only people who have seen it or educators familiar with it! please!)?

Question

My oldest daughter is 4 years old and very bright. She doesn't get "creeped out" by much (she got scared at a dinosaur exhibit, but then decided that when she turned 4 it wouldn't scare her anymore - and sure enough, we went back and she went right in and had a great time). There's a "science guy" who comes to her school with tarantulas, scorpions and various lizards, and none of them bother her. So what do you think of the "Bodies" exhibit (the one where they use real bodies to educate people about anatomy)? Is she just too young for it, or will she take her cues on how to react to it from me? I'd like to take her, but my husband thinks it might be too much for her. Thanks.

Answer 1

ive seen it, and i agree with your husband.
there are fetal infants at various stages of development.
bodies without skin
everything that you would expect to see, and sooooo much more.
if she were older i would say yes...but if you are able to deal with her....
lets just say that when i saw it down at the seaport in nyc there were NO children under the age of probablly 12 or 13...

Answer 2

I've seen it recently in Toronto but didn't take our 3 year old. I remember several children there, even younger than 3 and they seemed fine with it. After our daughter found out that I had went she kept nagging me to take her too but I didn't do that.

When you enter there is a gradual progression of the exhibits until you get to the full body totally open exposure. The first thing you see is only skeleton then joints then tissue and so on.

I don't think it would be wrong to take a very young child so long as you let them set the pace and didn't push them at all if they changed your mind. It is most important that of course that the child not be the type to run around or touch anything. Touching is very strictly forbidden expect for a few samples at one attended exhibit.