Editor’s Note: West Philly Local contributor and West Philly resident Jen Horner and her son checked on Penn Museum’s 40 Winks with the Sphinx sleepover program a few months ago, but we didn’t get a chance to run the story about their experience because all subsequent sleepovers in the spring/summer were quickly sold out. As tickets for the Fall 2013 – Summer 2014 of 40 Winks with the Sphinx season go on sale today, we are publishing this story now.

Photos by Jen Horner.

It’s funny: Ben Stiller has been very helpful to scientific institutions in their quest to reach young minds and generate new revenue streams. The 2006 movie Night at the Museum is not the only inspiration for overnight kids’ programs – the Franklin Institute has been doing it for years – but I did feel my life imitating art when I took a late night flashlight tour through the mummy chambers of the Penn Museum with my ten-year-old son. “Forty Winks with the Sphinx” is a popular monthly program for kids age 6-12, and while it plays on the premise of the movie, the grandeur of the museum and the enthusiasm of the staff override all residual cheesiness.

We found plenty to like about Forty Winks. From 5:30 until the first scheduled event of at 6:45 we had the run of the museum. Staff and security were on site, and as a bonus, things were set up for the next night’s crazy-lavish wedding. (There were gigantic crystal chandeliers and velvet drapes all over the Egyptian gallery). My son and I had fun following the scavenger hunt booklet. At 6:45, we convened in the auditorium for a short orientation followed by a live “game show” wherein kids examined artifacts from the museum and guessed what they were used for. This moved briskly but lasted long enough for most kids to get a chance on stage.

From 7:45 on, we were free to try four activities, eat dinner (we packed it ourselves), roam the museum, or actually watch the movie Night at the Museum. Of the lessons, we liked the cuneiform best – it’s the ancient Sumerian writing method of pressing patterns into clay. I cannot describe the satisfaction we felt when the instructor looked at my son’s finished clay tablet and read his name out loud! Where else could you meet a person literate in ancient Sumerian? We also learned some Egyptian hieroglyphics, and we had a chance to (respectfully) examine a real Peruvian mummy. Yoga was too crowded so we skipped it.

The best part of the night was the Expedition at 10. Everyone has to bring their own flashlight because they really do turn out the lights. Things were organized so that small groups moved through key exhibits without spoiling the illusion of being alone with the mummies in a vast, dark museum. I must say, the guides – mostly Penn graduate students – were very charming and smart, and good at talking with flashlights in their faces. There is a lot of truly cool stuff in the museum, plus my son met a fellow Angry Birds fan. By 11:30-ish, after negotiating the crowded restrooms, we ended up back in the Sphinx room for lights out. 

I will not lie: it’s weird sleeping cheek by jowl with a bunch of strangers. Imagine being laid out in an echo chamber with 174 other people, many of them Girl Scouts working on their All Night Giggling badge. To survive, you must bring earplugs. The floor is granite, but inflatable mattresses are not permitted. We borrowed camping pads from an outdoorsy friend and they worked pretty well. Wear, don’t pack, your pajamas (sweatpants, tee shirt, whatever) – you’ll find little space for changing. It’s all so indelicate (and dark) that nobody’s going to judge your outfit or notice as you struggle to remove your bra inside your sleeping bag. Finally, bring your dinner and snacks in a portable cooler. Some families ordered takeout, but having it delivered during the specified window of time looked like a hassle, and it didn’t work out well for some.

After as comfy a night as possible, we woke up at 7 to a decent breakfast with all the coffee and hot chocolate necessary to get us up and out. The deal is, you must remove all your gear by 9 a.m., but you’ll have access to the museum for the entire day. Also, kids receive a patch granting free admission for an entire year. We had a lot of fun, and the Penn Museum is awe-inspiring, day or night. Tickets for the Fall 2013 – Summer 2014 season of 40 Winks with the Sphinx go on sale today (Thursday, Aug 15). For more information, go to: http://www.penn.museum/kids-and-family/40-winks-with-the-sphinx.html.

– Jen