EXPLORIT Science Center - Weekly Column

Explorit Science Center is pleased to announce its 2001-2002 changing exhibition season. As you may already know, Explorit's in-house exhibit area changes topics and activities frequently to provide on-going visitors a chance to learn about a variety of topics over the course of a given year.

"We're pleased with the variety of topics that will be provided to visitors this year," said John Gallagher, exhibit director. "We work on the themes up to three years prior to finalizing them," getting input from staff, Explorit's board of directors, members and the public.

"We like to have a variety of physical and life science topics, and of course math," Gallagher added.

This year's overarching theme will be Health and Fitness. Each exhibition will explore in part aspects of personal or environmental health.

Visiting Explorit is as easy as stopping by during public hours (see hours below). Explorit also provides a free admission day once a month on the fourth Saturday of each month.

But did you know that another way many folks visit Explorit is on a field trip? Each year over three hundred groups from preschool through middle school take advantage of this learning opportunity called a Discovery Lesson.

Discovery Lessons are available to schools, home school groups and other organizations like scouting groups.

The students come to Explorit with their teacher and parent volunteers, learn about the exhibit with an introduction given by one of Explorit's education specialists, and then delve into the hands-on activities in the exhibition hall.

If you are a teacher or a parent volunteer, look over the exhibition topics and organize a trip to Explorit. Discovery Lessons are very popular so it is best to reserve a date as soon as possible. The cost is $3 per student. Call Explorit during the week or log on to Explorit's Web site for more details on Discovery Lessons.

Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Picture This! Math and Science in the Arts." Public hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.

Dancers, painters, sculptors, musicians... Creative people use many scientific principles in making art. Discover how science and math are involved in the methods and materials used by artists around the world.

Get to know a newton...test an ampere...record your heart rate. Explore the fascinating tools and techniques we use to estimate and measure the world around us, everywhere from outer space to inside our bodies.

Planets rotate, people walk, and apples fall. How do various bodies move, including your own, and what sense can we make of their motion? Try out some experiments that will move you to shout "Eureka!"

The human body is an amazing "machine" filled with incredible parts. What do these parts do and how do they work together? Discover the complexity of your body systems and learn how to keep them in good working order.

From perspiration to the Pacific Ocean, water is the most important liquid in our lives. It covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface and makes up about 70 percent of our bodies. Explore water's properties, its cycles, and how it sustains life.

In baseball and billiards, checkers and badminton, there's a surprising amount of science and math in the games we play. Exercise your brain and body as we explore the scientific principles in sports and games.

Explorit Science Center Weekly Column