Spring Break is here. To keep those little brains engaged while school is out, a carefully planned visit to Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park is in order. Here are some tips to use to get the most out of your visit.

Now showing: Hubble.

Courtesy photo

Max Your Imax Experience: Older kids with longer attention spans might appreciate the Friday Night special where you can see one film for $8.50 and additional movies for $5. Most movies are about 45 minutes, so you can break them up with some science fun in between. Remember to line up 15-20 minutes before show time to get first choice of seats.

Think About Your Seating: IMAX movies are more realistic for younger kids since they have smaller statures and fields of vision. Since they can often feel “swallowed up” in the center, you can try to sit up higher. To stave off any motion sickness, tell them to look away, or try to find fixed objects in the theater—like people sitting in front of them or the staircase handles—if things get too scary. Don’t be surprised if they shout out, “HEY! We’re moving!”

Pick Your Film in Advance: The newest movie Hubble promises to take viewers on a space journey via authentic photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope. These photos are remarkable to look at, but seeing them ginormously huge will promise to be a great thrill. If you’re interested in something more down to earth (pun intended), consider Amazon. A fantastic film following two people on a quest through the great river to find its natural healing elements. Here are MOVIE TIMES.

Structure Your Day: When families usually visit, it’s tempting to walk the gallery with hundreds of hands-on learning activities and let the kids dart in a mad dash from one exciting thing to the next. Instead, borrow a page from local educators who plan field trips to the Fleet, and do more guided learning. The goal is to spend fun time together and take away something of value, not necessarily “do” each individual thing. Better to do a fewer items in each gallery and take away something meaningful to remember.

Switch Places: As you go through each gallery, look for open exhibits, and have children read the “try this” portion in the directions. Kids love to take charge and be the boss, and tell you what to do—this way, you are reinforcing what they learned. Remember that pocket sanitizer—everything is hands on.

Get KEVA KRAZY!: Don’t leave without a visit to the brand-new “Blockbusters” exhibit upstairs, featuring thousands of KEVA blocks to inspire would-be architects. These innovative toys are easy to build and stay together without connectors or glue. KEVA engineers claim to turn artists into scientists, and scientists into artists, so it’s the perfect activity for every kind of personality. Check out their site for creative inspiration HERE.

Visit the City: Kid City that is—a gallery dedicated specifically for preschoolers. Create some warm fuzzys, and have older kids help their younger siblings through the creative learning zone, which includes a working factory, a shopping market and an enormous magnet board.

Go Shopping: The Fleet’s toy and museum shop is practically a gallery in itself. Store Manager Dave Miller has taken great pains to ensure that there are fun and exciting learning souvenirs for every taste and every kind of budget to keep the wonder going once you have returned home. Most popular are their wide array of science kits, challenging kids to concoct elementary chemistry mixtures, venture into forensics or build simple working robots.

Come as a Group: Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts offer patches and badges that can be earned while visiting the center; birthday party packages are also available.