In Oklahoma, the days of March can be filled with enjoyable sunshine or miserable cold and damp. It's hard to know if you should plan a picnic or an indoor activity. Fortunately, there are at least two spots in our state where you and your kids can have fun no matter the weather. Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse & Adventure Quest and Jasmine Moran Children's Museum are not your typical museums because here, you can touch everything.

Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse & Adventure Quest
Although I have never been a big fan of loading small children in the car for a two-hour drive, Leonardo's, in downtown Enid, is worth every minute. Make plans to caravan with several friends' ”the kids will have a great time going through all the adventure centers with their buddies. Leonardo's is the brainchild of Helen Garriott and her astronaut husband, Owen. Children can roam from one adventure center to another with little supervision because each area is designed with safety in mind. Leonardo's is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5pm on Sunday. Admission for an entire day of come-and-go fun is free for those under two; $6 for everyone else. Visit their web site or call 580-253-2787 for more information and a full listing of activities.

Inside Adventures
Based on the theme of Leonardo DiVinci's workshop, the museum emphasizes hands-on science and art activities. Each area is devoted to a different theme. There is a medieval market, a pottery room, a puppet center, a music room, and an office center. In the scientific workshop called Leonardo's Cave, children can view slides under a microscope, touch animal bones, watch the chinchillas, and walk through a cave simulation. The aerospace center was my son's favorite. He sat in the flight simulator, donated by Vance Air Force Base, and manipulated every switch and button. At the space shuttle exhibit, children can sit in space shuttle seats and watch an actual take off from the perspective of the astronaut. My daughter loved the throne room where she dressed up in various costumes and performed for a ceiling-mounted camera so she could see herself on a large television screen. Both kids worked at the art tables before crawling through the castle tunnel to the grotto dive shop. Volunteer Coordinator Mollie Babb says kids really enjoy sending hand-written messages from one side of the museum to another in pneumatic tubes.

Outside Adventures
Across the street from the warehouse is Leondardo's Adventure Quest. This large, wood and rope playground houses a pirate ship where children can climb a tower and run through mazes and an obstacle course. My favorite area was the dinosaur dig and sand box. Children can grab a paint brush and work to uncover buried bones, climb on wooden dinosaurs, or build sand castles. If the weather is particularly warm, take advantage of the water play area just bring some towels. Leonardo's has one of the largest telescopes in Oklahoma and the local astronomy club hosts a night sky viewing every Tuesday night.

Jasmine Moran Children's Museum
Based on the same theory as Leonardo that children learn through doing, not viewing the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum, located in Seminole, only an hour from the Metro, provides kids the opportunity to play at almost every profession. The museum reflects the vision of Melvin and Jasmine Moran who wanted to bring a museum just for children to Oklahoma. Fortunately, parents can play right alongside their children. Admission is free for ages two and under; $7 for kids 3 to 60; $6 for those over 60. Visit their web site or call 800-259-5437 for details about the museum.

Inside Activities
The museum includes a newsroom where kids can be newscasters, weather forecasters, or talk show hosts. Education Director Betty Smith urges parents to videotape their new star's first on-camera experience. Kids will enjoy sitting in the nose piece of a Corvair airplane that actually juts out of the museum wall the windshield looks out to the open sky. An audio track takes pretend pilots through take off and landing, telling them which buttons to push and which way to pull the steering wheel. At the back of this area is a large aquarium with possibly the largest captive fish I've ever seen. Children can shop in the Homeland grocery store or play in the Bubble Zone or on a full-size fire engine. My daughter loved the hospital area with the full-size ambulance where kids can be patients or drivers. In the dentist office, kids can look at X-rays and play with the model teeth while mom or dad sit in the big chair. There are also construction areas, a courtroom, a handicapable area, a kid's office, and a large art space. The new elaborate inside water play area and climbing maze was my son's favorite spot.

Outside Activities
On a good weather day, take a train ride. Ride for $1 per person Tuesday-Friday at 11:30am, 1:30 or 3:30pm; Saturday at 1:30 and 3:30pm; or Sunday at 3:30. Before or after the ride, play in a child-size town, take in a bicycle safety class, or romp on the large outdoor play structure.

Pam is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Central Oklahoma. She and her husband Mike have been married for six years and have traveled Oklahoma with their blended family of five children.