Encounter with a T-Rex

By Kin Enriquez -

The Mind Museum is a brand spanking new facility aimed mostly for kids and kids-at-heart who have the inkling for science.


Located at the bustling Bonifacio business district in Taguig, Metro Manila, the museum - the most modern-looking I've seen in the Philippines - has five interactive galleries: Story of the Universe (astronomy and cosmology), Story of Earth (geology and paleontology), Story of Life (biology and life sciences), Story of the Atom (physics and chemistry) and Story of Technology. 

Facade of Mind Museum


These galleries have about 250 interactive exhibits that allow hands-on discovery and learning.


Visitors entering the exhibit area are greeted by a robot who gives introductions about the displays.  The Hall of Philippine Science is the first area after the lobby, and on it are museum pieces that are localized to the Philippines. 

The full sized T. Rex

At various intervals during the day several shows are conducted, including a 3D film viewing on the geological formation of the Philippine islands (they'll give you a pair of 3D glasses when you enter the theater), as well as a feature on asteroids and comets at the planetarium. 
Around the planetarium astronomy-related pieces are displayed: an orrery of the Solar system, a full-sized astronomer suit, and a diorama of the Mars surface complete with rovers that can be controlled by the viewer via a remote control. 

Astronaut Suit

The highlight of the museum can be found in the Earth gallery: a full-sized cast of a dinasaur, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, complete with mounds of fossilized dinosaur poop (called coprolites). There is also a paleontology and geology section replete with fossils, rocks and petrified wood.

There is also a full-scale model of a butanding (or whale shark, which can be found in the Philippines) dangling in the ceiling.
Kids playing with the Van de Graaf generator

Among the interactive pieces that will surely capture a kid's imagination are the van de Graaf generator, a working model of the Gutenberg press, a green laser with mirrors, and a Geiger counter paired with robotic manipulator arm that is holding a radioactive Cesium sample. You'd hear the clicks in the counter as you maneuver the radioactive sample to and from the detector (the display is encased in glass, for safety reasons).
Robotic arms with radioactive sample

To wrap up, the Mind Museum is a fun way to spend a weekend and learn something while doing it. It's something Dr. Sheldon Cooper might enjoy too. 
Aedi the Robot greeting visitors
How to get there: The museum is at J.Y.Campos Park in 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City. There is no public transportation going to the area so you may have to take a cab to get here.
Useful Info

Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate (limited number). You may opt for an all-day pass (adults PhP 750) or 3-hr slots (9am-12n, 12n-3pm, 3pm-6pm, and 6pm-9pm on Saturdays and Sundays, adults for P600).  
Model of the Mars Rover

Website: http://www.themindmuseum.org

pics, from top: the T-Rex, the museum from the outside, an astronaut suit, a hair-raising experience for the kids with the van de Graaf generator, the robotic manipulator arm with a Cesium sample, Aedi the robot;  the Mars rover.

 by Kin Enriquez

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