Upon entering Nature's Fury, we were stopped in our tracks by large screens showing the wrath of volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, the four main natural disasters examined in the installation. The exhibit does a nice job of blending informative displays, interactive stations and videos to keep visitors of all ages interested. It also explores the causes and impact of global climate change, and how communities are working to try to avert (or at least minimize) the aftermath of natural disasters in the future. Catastrophic events both recent (Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy) and ancient (Mount Vesuvius) are examined in depth.

My children love any hands-on activities, so while much of the exhibition is geared toward older kids and adults, my toddler was still able to find enough buttons to press to keep her busy. Reading, though, is key, so overall Nature's Fury is probably best for children in second grade and up.

The station where kids can build their own virtual volcanoes is definitely a highlight. Controls allow you to determine the volcano's size and the "gooeyness" of the eruption as it displays on a massive screen. There are three consoles so hopefully that will help keep the wait time down.

The interactive tabletop map of NYC showing the power of Hurricane Sandy was amazing. Even if you lived through it, seeing the citywide impact of the storm all at once is jaw dropping. My children weren't freaked out, though, perhaps because they were too busy having fun figuring out where we live and pinpointing other places they know to see how they were affected by the superstorm.

Other interactive displays allow kids to shift fault lines, stomp on the floor to create an "earthquake" and stand in the center of a tornado.

Of course, as awesome as Mother Nature's power is, it can also be frightening. Some of the videos and pictures show some potentially upsetting real-life destruction. While my toddler was oblivious to it, my five-year-old was a bit taken aback by photos of wrecked homes and people dealing with the grief of loss. None of the images are graphic, but they are potent, so be prepared to possibly answer some difficult questions.

Nature's Fury: The Science of Natural Disasters is on view through Sunday, August 9, 2015 at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street. Admission is $27 for adults, $22 for students, $16 for children ages 2-12.

Find out about other cool exhibits for kids in our Museum Guide.