Children learn best from exhibits involving lights and colors, which means you can either take them to a children’s museum or let them rub their eyes too hard. Teach wee ones safely with today’s Groupon to the Science Factory. Choose from the following options:

• For $7, you get two admissions to the exhibits and exploration dome (a $14 value).
• For $12, you get four admissions to the exhibits and exploration dome (a $28 value).
• For $30, you get a membership for two adult members and two children or adult guests (a $60 value).
  
  

The Science Factory fills its space with exhibitions, star shows, and special events that immerse children in the fascinating realm of science. Current and ongoing exhibits explore sustainable energy and permit observation of terrarium-dwelling lizards and frogs. Running until January 2012, I Dig Dinosaurs! collects touchable and nontouchable fossils on loan from the Bruce Museum beside a field station where participants dig for mock skeletons—making rubbings of ancient-plant representations—and constructing their own virtual dinosaur. The Exploration Dome, Oregon’s second-largest planetarium and dome theater, screens a captivating lineup of seasonal and interactive star shows, as well as the full-dome feature Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, narrated by Liev Schrieber and scored by a choir of moaning orcas.

In addition to unlimited free entry to exhibits and half off Exploration Dome shows, members receive discounts on classes, camps, and birthday parties. Membership bestows a one-time free admission to any member museum of the Northwest Association of Youth Museums, as well as free admission to hundreds of American and Canadian science centers and museums, compliments of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Passport Program.