Adults are welcome to join in the adventure with their children. Don t forget to look for hidden treasures throughout the exhibit. The winding river that runs through this gallery becomes a hydraulics laboratory where children can experiment with the power of water. Visitors can predict whether an object will sink or float, make it rain, observe flood plains, control the flow of the river, make and sail boats and use the flow of water to set machines in motion. Whimsical windows display intriguing specimens from Museum Center s collection and challenge visitors to discover what makes an animal an animal.
Children can touch a cast of an elephant skull and compare it to a real skull on display.
The Infant Garden and Toddler Farmyard provide a protective and appealing setting for children four years of age and younger, and their caregivers. Toddlers and preschoolers can ride down the slide through the barn, sort fruit and vegetables in the garden, fish from a row boat, play at a sand table and gather around the story tree and create their own puppet shows. The infant area includes the Parent Resource Center as well as a play space for crawlers and early walkers. This soft-sided area is filled with plush toys and mirrors to enhance early sensory experience. Individual stations offer chances to analyze what path a ball must take to reach its destination, and what simple machines or energy forces help get it there.