Yexel's Toy Museum: The Big Picture

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!
We actually have a toy museum!  In fact, it's a museum so awesome, my boys (husband included) were geeking out about it days after we went there.  The place just brims of epic proportions.
Don't believe me?  Then prepare for an overload of photographic evidence!!!

Yexel's Toy Museum is a 3-storey child's Dream Come True and an adult's trip to Nostalgia Land --all in lifesize 3D!  It comes with free-standing works of art.

Set-ups that allow you to sit and be part of the toy scenario.

Movie toys that are larger than life.  Definitely a hundred times larger than your average Happy Meal freebie.

Classic toys that take you back to an altered past where you can hobnob with your favorite film, TV show, and video game characters.

Replicas that are hell authentic!  Uber awesome craftsmanship!  Most of which are encased in protective glass.

And, for the easily overwhelmed by big things, gazillions of miniatures.  Sorry, still overwhelming. :P

But what really floors you is this... the Piece de Resistance!

Optimus Prime in actual size!  What.  The.  Fudge.
The room that encases the gargantuan Autobot is filled with the alien robot's deep, dramatic voice delivering his famous closing spiel in the first movie, blasting away in mega speakers.  Talk about ambiance!

*Photo nabbed from Yexel's Toy Museum's FB page

Now, you know me --I don't just take our kids to any random place for kicks.  I always make sure they get something out of it.  A lesson, or an inspiration.  Yexel's Toy Museum serves that on a Lego platter.  Yexel isn't just a young man who collects toys for display.  He MAKES toys, too!  A lot of which are the lifesized ones in the museum.  How's that for inspiration?

For P300 a pop, you'll never get a toy-filled experience this huge anywhere.
Yexel's Toy Museum, quietly tucked away at Pilar Village in Las Pinas City, is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 8pm.  Go big and be there!

The Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center: A Rediscovery

It's been a while since our last trip to the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center in MOA.  We've gone there a couple of times in the past when it first launched and we loved the place.  Imagine the thrill when we found out that it was relaunching with brand new galleries.  Our inner geeks completely beamed!

Anyhoo, we finally went last Saturday and it was --as expected-- awesome!  If your family loves science and discoevry as much as we do, then you'll never get enough of these 8 spanking new galleries.

FLORA AND FAUNA
Here, our boys got to sit alongside a replica of Lolong, the largest crocodile in captivity in actual size.  They also learned a lot about plant and animal life with a choice of flipbooks and interactive video podiums.

HUMAN BODY
This area got our boys discovering the inner workings of their own bodies with the funnest animated human anatomy that you can move according to your will.  Kenji got his skeleton to dance Gangnam Style.  Lol!  They loved listening to the sounds of their internal organs, too.

SCIENCE AND STUDY OF MATTER
The biggest thing about this place is that famous scientists donned the walls.  My boys were particularly interested in their experiments and geeked out on the hands-on activities in the area.

TRANSPORTATION NATION
Boys will indeed be boys.  This gallery totally hit home.  Miro and Kenji loved the engine tutorial, the little car exhibit, and the build-your-own-car game.  Sweet!

ENERGY VALLEY
Energy can be generated by so many things.  Our boys have always known this, but it's cool re-learning it all over again with the help of virtual demos.  They even got to meet the Trash Monster!

VIRTUAL REEF 
If there's one thing I liked about this gallery, it's the underwater-like tunnel.  It feels almost like Ocean Park, except it's peppered with technology.  Interactive podiums lined the area.  And the sea creature photo wall connects to Facebook, so you get to see your pictures online.

THE EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE
Welcome to Miro's world!  I don't think this boy will ever tire of watching a documentary on the creation of the universe.  This gallery has more than that though.  How about a huge-ass orb that changes surface according to different planets?

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
There's a camera exhibit with a gigantic vintage camera display.  THIS is definitely my husband's geek spot. :)  The live and loud communication set-up between two points on a wall was a fun way to get attention, too. :P

PLUS, THE SCIENCE OF CARTOONS
This is a running special exhibit.  And I flopped here a little. :( There was no Cartoon Network event happening on the gallery that day.  But it was still open with tiny activities like the Gumball animation cells you can take pictures in, and the manual Finn animator.  Note to self:  next time, plan a trip here when there's a Science of Cartoons event.  And make sure that the Finn and Jake mascots are there (Kenji added).

Still, fun, fun, extra productive day!  We'll definitely come back.  You and your kids should hop on over to the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center, too.  There's nothing more fulfilling than rediscovering Discovery.