I’ve lived in South Florida for almost 20 years.

1) I honestly can’t believe it’s been that long.

2) I honestly can’t believe I didn’t know amount this gem until just recently.

We always look for new ways to explore on the weekends and when I was asked about The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum in Boynton Beach I didn’t know to much about it.

The only way to fix that was to go myself and take the kids. First off, how cute is this building?

Something you may notice about South Florida is that there aren’t too many old buildings. For real. Old historic buildings are everywhere up north, but here… this one is old. I already loved it for that before walking in.

I posted quite a few Instagram stories from the day we were there and I received multiple messages from people that actually went to school there. That was mind blowing because it’s the exact opposite of what elementary schools look like today.

It is small, quaint and full of charm.

Each room has a different “theme”, some are city buildings and businesses…others are different parts of Florida. As soon as we walked in I could see the excitement and wonder in my kids eyes. This is similar to other children’s museums we have been to but I honestly loved that it wasn’t oversized and overwhelming.

The rooms were arranged so the parents could supervise their children but not hover over them. To give them independence to play with the new toys and with other children their age. To watch them explore.

I also love the nods to Florida history that some people might not be aware of. Such as the Barefoot Mailman. Here is a little about him if you’ve never heard of him before.

There were interactive areas, like this post office, where they could address letters, place them in mailboxes or send out packages. Just the day before we had been to the post office and the boys asked a million and three questions while there. As soon as they saw the post office to play in they didn’t want to leave. They were pretending to do what they had seen me do the day before.

We played honestly 20 games of giant operation. This was a great place to talk about the human body and compare the game pieces to actual body parts.

The displays and exhibits were in depth enough to learn from but child friendly enough to make my 6 year old want to stand and read all of it. That’s the perfect combination.

And yes, just like every other kid activity center there are germs, but I love they have a YUCK BUCKET. If you are one of those moms that worries about germs feel free to take your own hand wipes.

There wasn’t any area there that I thought looked questionable or uncleaned though, and I made sure to look.

I appreciate that not only did they have thematic toys in specific areas, but that they also had matching costumes and uniforms to go along with them.

I will say it is up to you to remind your kids to clean up their own area. I know there are certain places where staff members circle and pick up behind your kids. This was not the case, at least it wasn’t on the day we were there. That was OK because all of the kids and parents were cleaning up after themselves. The way is should be.

I would not let the boys move on to the next area until they had cleaned up the one they were in. Please… teach your kids this lesson as they are young.

Even though we have these grocery items at home, there is something fun and exciting playing with them in a different environment. It was a struggle to make him leave them there though. I wasn’t expecting that.

If your kids love trains they have a huge train to climb aboard and play with the levers. You can also ring the train bell that can be heard all throughout the first floor.

OK… so I turned into a kid with this cow. Once I figured out what he did I couldn’t get the kids over fast enough. I know it’s so simple but it’s amazing.

You (or your kid) put a ping pong ball in her mouth and it travels out into the milk container under the udders.

Why do I love this as much as I do? Whoever came up with this… I want to be friends with them. It still makes me smile a week after going there.

If you haven’t been to The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, do yourself a favor and go sometime soon. It’s extremely affordable at only $5 a person and they have tons of classes.

In case you are wondering about snacks… take them. The have a few table to sit at if your kids need a little break. They sell juice and water at the front desk for $1 if you get thirsty.

You can also have a special event or birthday party there. Out of the heat, out of the rain. Win, win.

What’s your favorite South Florida jewel to visit? I want to make sure I go!