Explorit expands visitor hours during Spring Break

On Saturday, Explorit Science Center will begin a record 16 consecutive days of being open to the public at its main site, 2801 Second St. in Davis.

Normally the museum is closed on Mondays, but it will be open next Monday and the following Monday, April 13, to accommodate Spring Break visitors.

What’s more, the weekday hours will be expanded to match the weekend hours, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“We’re pretty excited to be able to open for more days and longer hours this year,” says Megan Contreras, program director. “Our visitors have been asking for this.”

During a visit, you can explore two exhibitions. The relatively new Changing Exhibition, “The Energy Story,” is proving popular with the public. Kids especially like the laser-light activity in a dark, tented corner of the upstairs Gumerlock Gallery. Also take time to explore the long-term exhibition “Move It: Science in Action” downstairs in the Jonsson Family Gallery.

Admission is $4 general, free for ages 3 and under as well as teachers with school ID. Family memberships are available for $50; they give you free admission for a year as well as many other benefits. Learn more at http://www.explorit.org.

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Two special programs will give people even more reason to visit Explorit in the coming weeks.

First, a Family Exploration program called “Fuel Cells: Powering the Future” will help visitors learn about fuel cells in a fun way. It will take place Saturday April 11.

Drop in any time between 1-4 p.m. to build your own fuel cell, which uses hydrogen to produce electricity.

The activities will be lead by Craig Childers of the California Air Resources Board, a state agency devoted to attaining and maintaining healthy air quality. He’ll bring a fuel-cell car and another alternative-energy vehicle for visitors to examine.

The program is free with paid admission to the museum.

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Another exciting reason to visit Explorit this month: A NASA scientist will present a program about the foods that astronauts eat in space.

Dr. Michele Perchonok will speak at Explorit while she’s in town attending meetings at UC Davis. She’s manager of the meals for astronauts in the Space Shuttle Program, and she’s planning strategies and new technologies for meals during longer voyages in space.

She’ll talk about her work and show samples of space food – to look at, not to eat –  at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, at Explorit’s site on Second Street.

Her presentation will be free with paid admission to the museum.

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Last, April is the month to sign up for Summer Science Camp ’09 at Explorit.
The center offers 10 weeklong sessions of hands-on camps that challenge children to learn by touching, playing, experimenting and doing.

Children entering grades one through five have the option of taking morning camps that run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.; an optional extended-day program runs until 5 p.m. Children at least 4 years old and entering preschool or kindergarten can enroll in camps that meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Camp registration forms and a PDF of the annual Camp Guide are available at www.explorit.org. Printed versions are available at Explorit’s main site as well as at its Mace Park Branch, 3141 Fifth St.

The random-drawing camp registration deadline is 4:30 p.m. Friday April 17. Registration forms will be opened randomly after that, and campers will be placed in their selections until the camps are full. Very few children are wait-listed. Families will be notified of camp placement by early May. After all forms are processed, open registration will begin.

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Explorit Science Center has two exhibitions running: “The Energy Story” and “Move It! Science in Action.” Admission is $4 general, free for age 3 and under. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or www.explorit.org