Children's Natural History Museum

Pleasantly surprised by this natural history museum in Fremont. Hidden gem managed by the non-profit Math Science Nucleus. Curator was kind enough to give us a short tour. They had fossils from the East Bay area as well. Plenty of curated marked activities for kids. Treasure hunt was also fun. AV room had enough seating with a large curved projection screen to begin the experience, however the quality of the video and audio played was very poor. The recording seemed to be very disconnected and poorly put together with incoherent narration. They could look at licensing high quality digital content from larger museums in the bay area. This org could use some funding to improve facilities. Museum could be much larger for the number of exhibits and collections.

It's an informative place for kids to explore the knowledge of nature especially related to the Fremont local area. There are lots of collections of rocks, bones, and animals. However, the exhibition itself is displayed in an old-fashioned manual way. If there is more up-to-date interactive multi-media, the exhibition will be more attractive to kids. The fee is $5 for each adult & kid.

This is how museums should be. Focused on teaching kids about topics, in this case geology and the life on Earth, with details about the local area. Shows like the planetarium and the high voltage exhibit are extremely interesting and keep the attention up. It is clear the volunteers put a lot of effort and create a number of custom devices to enhance the experience. A true gem.

Good for younger kids..Plenty of parking..Entry tickets under 3 is free and all others $10.

Found this place after searching Google for museums in the East Bay. This was close and we haven't been to this one before, so since the kids were on winter break - we checked it out. My youngest said they felt like Indiana Jones and my eldest said it's their highlight so far of winter vacation. The museum docent handed the kids a scavenger hunt based on their grade level, and it really was quite fun! I would have loved the items in the gift shop for my classroom! Such a fun, educational experience!

I brought my 5 y.o. here. she doesn't know how to read yet but she had fun. Even though the exhibition is displayed the old fashioned way, she was able to do some of the activities. She enjoyed doing the scavenger hunt sheet that they gave at the entrance. I had fun doing it with her. For $5/person is worth it.

This museum is a gem. It is so well done and interactive, good for little kids, maybe 4 and up. My 5 year old had fun with the scavenger hunt and you even get a little prize at the end. My almost 3 year old is a little more difficult since some exhibits you should not touch. They have hands on matching exhibits in every room, several sand boxes to play with. Sooo many amazing skeletons. The gift shop is so cheap I don’t think they are making money. 30 cents for an egg with a plastic dinosaur inside?!!!! Thanks for being here. They don’t have an elevator yet so you have to carry your stroller up the stairs to 2nd floor.

I’ve done two camps here during the summer and both my little siblings have had field trips here. Love the rock and minerals collections for sale! I used to spend a good chunk of my money from my birthday and Christmas getting them. Although not on shelf, they can also sell you plastic rocks and mineral containers along with the folding paper things that sit inside of them. These are the only things that keep my collection neat and organized! Keep up the good work. This place is amazing. We need to make sure more places like this don’t get torn down for apartments.

There have been MULTIPLE instances where I have passed by this museum every time I visited Fremont and each time I asked I was told, "nah, it's not for you. It's really only just for kids and not really for adults", so I've never had the opportunity to go until recently and I'm glad to say that it's NOT just for kids, but it's definitely a GREAT place for kids to come and learn about the local natural history. The workers there are extremely kind and welcoming. Super helpful and I loved my entire time there. You can tell that this museum has been a staple to the community and that it's well loved by all those who visit. There's a scavenger hunt for little kids and big kids with a prize at the end (we got the big kids one, lol), an arts and crafts room, an electricity show (sad that we missed it!), lots of interactive exhibits that aren't too overwhelming (not a fan of touch screens and tablets everywhere, so a lot of the analog and hands on stuff was really, really nice), and a gift shop. There's also meetings rooms and such, probably for the field trips that visit. First off, the gift shop. I LOVED IT SO MUCH! The fact that there are actual items that are under $1 and that a child can purchase with pocket change is amazing. It's not junk either since you can get various shells, minerals, stones, and toys/items that are tangentially related to what you see going through the museum. Definitely got a bunch of souvenirs here and I really wish that I went during the school year cuz there's lots of small trinkets and knick knacks that would have been great for my middle school class! For all those crystal/gem people, it is definitely and INFINITELY much cheaper to get the crystals here than at any new age healing shop, just a side note haha. They also had a section with some lab items that are sold at a cost that is MUCH, MUCH cheaper than what I've seen on some STEM teacher supplies catalogs. There were even some free Periodic Table mats as well. Amazing! But now onto a review of the actual museum! The exhibits are on the second floor along with the arts and crafts room. If more time permitted I can easily spend hours here as there is a lot to look at, read, and engage in. As mentioned above I really like that this museum isn't like so many of it's more modern counterparts. It was nice to focus on what was in front of me and actually pick it up and interact with it (the ones that you are allowed to touch of course), especially in a matching and sorting sense (great way to get that pattern recognition thinking and learning for kids and adults likewise) without being overwhelmed by touch screen voices/recordings, etc going off at once. There's also something very nostalgic, familiar, and heartwarming about how aged some of the décor and how obviously homemade some of the stations are. Once again showing the love and care that went into everything. Now, I have to say that I am IMMENSELY impressed from the standpoint of a STEM major and from someone whose gone a decent amount of museums by the VAST collection of fossils, specimens, and REAL pieces of history that they have here. ALSO, from the standpoint of someone whose worked with zoomers before, very, very impressed that so much of it is OUT IN THE OPEN for the public to view. I've been to the LA Natural History museum and this children's museum has things that that huge museum does not and that is mind blowing for sure. I have never seen a taxidermy river otter, koala, or bear cub before. They had so many marine fossils and specimens of crustaceans that I have never seen preserved in such a way either. The 2 things that amazed me the most were the pieces of local natural history such as the fossils of prehistoric mammals that were found in Fremont or nearby and what may potentially be two real human skulls on display (how they got there, I REALLY wished I asked but completely forgot). If there's an opportunity to, I would LOVE to go back and learn, interact, and explore some more (and go shopping in their gift shop again).

Such a fun place for kids to see and observe fossils, learn about local paleontology, and do a scavenger hunt with a prize at the end all for $3 per person! What a steal! It's a very small museum in a very old office building. But it's a hidden gem. Probably best for kids at least 4-5 and up. The artifacts are fragile and kids need to be able to follow directions to not touch things that shouldn't be touched. But there are hands on activities as well. Highly recommend!

A true gem to have in Fremont. I love the interactive learning at this cute little museums, Focused on teaching kids about various science topics. They offer geology and life on Earth, with details connecting details about the local area. I've visited for the third time with a school field trip. Schools should take advantage of arranging field trip to such museums that offer a local insight into science and history. Kids leave learning new fun facts and details. Today adventure was based on dinosaur fossil and local history of Fremont and union city. I found it intriguing that after the field trip kids wanted to go home and see if they could find fossil in their backyard. The kids loved the story time that connected them to fossil finding. They explored various fossils and minerals. Every learning session was connected to a fun activity that didn't leave kids bored. They also offer learning experience of planetarium and the high voltage exhibit and marine world. I haven't engaged in such learning activities but saw they had learning rooms which would be good for teenagers and elders. It amazing to see dedicate volunteers and educators who put in a lot of effort to keep kids engaged. The highlight of the trip was the gift shop. I loved that it was price friendly. For $5.00 a child can Leave happy with something. My daughter bough various stones and gems, This was a highlight. For $20.00 she was able to buy gifts for her siblings. Hour vary but do visit with your little ones.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this museum and my kids loved it!! The quality of experience beats all of the fancy (and pricey) science museums we have been to all over the bay. There are several themed rooms chock full of lovingly curated specimens and intricate activity centers to touch. There was so much content to absorb I wouldn't mind strolling through it again by myself as an amateur rock collector. My 3 and 5 year old had plenty to do even if more play oriented like the Montessori puzzles or fossil sand pits. My favorite activity were the silhouette-object matching exhibits to teach us new names of rocks, minerals, mollusks and more. The most delightful surprise was an electricity demonstration by adult and high school volunteers. It was a private lesson with lots of question time and only a few other families. My kids were in every curiosity sparking and hair raising demo. We blew through 2.5 hours and their brains were activated and just buzzing on how best this day was. I happily bought very reasonably priced souvenirs including the life cycle of a stag beetle set which is pretty disgusting in its realism and sticky feet you throw out like a frog tongue. You will smugly say to yourself on your way home 'I am winning parenting today!'

I've driven by this place forever (it feels like) and have never thought twice about what it was. Recently I was looking for somewhere to take my son, who's currently into dinosaurs and fossils, and this place was recommended by a few other local moms. What a hidden gem this was! I came with minimal expectations, just something to check out, and was pleasantly surprised with our experience. The employees were super nice, the museum itself is on the second floor of the building and is self guided. There are stations throughout each room that have little activities for the kids which I thought were perfect activities for my kiddos. There's definitely a lot of "do not touch" signs on several displays like other reviews mentioned so I just tried to keep steering my kids away from those displays and let them play with the more interactive stations. We spent the most time in the dinosaur room. We spent about 1-1.5 hrs there and then also hung out in the little "prehistoric garden" outside for a bit while my kids played with rocks and their new toys from the gift shop. The gift shop, by the way, had a lot of neat fun stuff, too! Great visit and for $5 and being so close to home for us, it's a steal!

Trying to find things to do on a rainy day with my 4-year-old, this place came to my mind. I passed this place many, many times, but never thought of visiting - and I am very glad we finally did! Some of the highlights of this place: * Friendly and knowledgeable staffs * Educational exhibitions - great for both kids and adults * Affordable admission ($3 per person as of Dec '19) * Cute little museum store We also had a pleasure of meeting Mr. Phil Gordon, one of the "Boy Paleontologists" who unearthed about 20,000 fossils from 58 different animal species in the '40s. We all had a great time. Thank you CNHM!

My kids (ages 7 and 11) *loved* it here. While it was small/cozy and open fairly limited hours, the exhibits were very thoughtfully put together and super fun for the kids! My kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, all the activities (they wanted to do every single activity!), the electricity demonstration, and interacting with the staff/volunteers, who were incredibly friendly and helpful. We are so happy we found this little gem - highly recommended!

This is an ok place to take your kids. Yes it's small and barely ever open, but it's cheap and local! It's not as engaging and interactive as big name museums we have in the Bay Area, like the Exploratorium or Academy of Science, but I think it's good for kids to experience different types of museums where they have to read, pay attention to details, and use their imagination. I was nervous about bringing my 2-year-old because many of the exhibits have signs that say "Do not touch," but she definitely touched....and rearranged some signs (which I am not positive I replaced correctly because I don't know the scientific names of all those sea shells....) I feel like a kids museum shouldn't just use signs as a deterrent because she can't read....and she's a lot faster than she looks.... Let's not judge my parenting here...But I figure if they really didn't want kids to touch something, it would be in a glass case to protect it because really.... Anywho...there were enough interactive things to keep her occupied for the afternoon and at $3/adult and $0/under age 3, you really can't beat it! It's air conditioned and not crowded. There are lots of cool STEM toys in the gift shop. I would go back just to go shopping!

Super fun place. Perfect for the littles. I highly recommend it. The staff is knowledgeable and accommodating.

We've passed this place several times meaning to come in, we finally managed to do it! You can see the place is small from the outside, so I wasn't sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. The rooms are jam packed with so many things. I thought it would be overwhelming, instead the museum does a good job balancing this by giving kids a scavanger hunt (given according to their age) and providing lots of interactive activities to do. We were lucky enough to be there at a slow moment and Ken treated us to a virtual trip through the galaxy. And then later we got to play around with static electricity. Who knew it would be anything but static! And of course, as others have mentioned, discovering all the 'local' dino fossils was pretty cool and the store has a plethora of STEM things to go crazy on. So overall, the museum is small, but the cost is just $3 - and you get a lot of bang for your buck.

This is a must visit if you stay in or in a short distance of Fremont and if you have young kids. It is not a huge museum but it makes up for it with the sheer level of interactivity with the exhibits. plus I loved a lot of small games that kids could involve themselves in, in most of the rooms. I guess irrespective of the specific ages of your children, you would find something interesting for them to do. Note - it is only open on specific days of the week, so plan your visit accordingly..

We love their store! Gemstones, educational toys, etc. We did their activity sheet as we walked through the museum. It seems great for kiddos maybe a bit older, like elementary, whereas my kiddo is is preschool age. Overall it was fun and we enjoyed it.

Hidden gem of Fremont! Best place to bring any field trip group!! No where else can kids get more hands-on experience while learning about fossils found in their own city!!

Best museum Ever!! Fun, educational, really nice staff! I would highly recommend this museum.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun/learning my son did here. He is only 3 1/2 so I wasn't sure how much he was going to get out of it, but he was really engaged. There are a ton of hands on activities too! My full review: http://theeverydaymomma.blogspot.com/2016/02/bay-area-kids-fun-childrens-natural.html

Such a great hands on museum. My daughter had her pre-k class come for a morning tour. The staff member that lead the group was very informative & did a lot of awesome projects w the kids! They were able to go off & look around (w parents) at the end of the presentation --which everyone liked! Lots of good stuff. Thanks for the fun morning!

Great field trip experience for our 2nd grade class! Hands-on and open exhibits lets the kids really get up close. There are many "do not touch", but obviously for good reason. There was an instructional part of the visit and then a self guided tour of the museum. The hands-on activities are plenty fun and educational. Must suggest to your elementary schools! There's also a great gift shop for souvenirs and educational purpose too.

My 3 year old daughter and I had so much fun today! This museum is small but mighty :) There are plenty of rocks, bones and shells to touch as well as very well done "do not touch" exhibits (like full skeletons). Everything is well labeled and grouped so that a lay person can understand and explain what they're looking at to kids. Older kids can also do a lot of exploring by themselves. There are 2 sand exhibits for kids to play in as well as puzzles and other interactive displays. My favorite part was that many of the fossils were found here in Fremont! There were plenty of pictures and replicas to give you an idea of what life was like here so long ago. Did you know we had sloths, camels and dire wolves? Now I do ;) There were also plant and rock exhibits any nature lover will enjoy. it took us about 90 minutes, maybe a bit more, to see the whole thing, do the activities (a scavenger hunt) and find a gift for a friend in the gift shop. Another thing I loved: the gift shop had the usual items you would expect but also a very well stocked science supply section! Beakers, eye droppers, slides, and lenses plus more I probably didn't recognize from my old lab days. I recommend this for a summer afternoon. The price can't be beat. But make sure to check the hours first! I hope more people will visit and they will be able to extend their hours :)