Explorit plans a Wet Lab – and much more – for 2007

By Suzanne Ullensvang
Explorit Executive Director

Explorit celebrated a major milestone in 2006 with the opening of the science center’s expansion site at 2801 Second St. Have you seen the new location yet? If not, make a resolution right now to come visit soon.

The opening of the site was really only the beginning of Explorit’s expansion project; 2007 promises even more exciting changes and additions. Here’s a sneak peek at things in the works for the first half of the new year.

Birthday parties are back, beginning in late January. Make reservations now for your child and their friends to celebrate a birthday with science. Two party packages and your choice of hands-on science topics promise a special and fun party experience for any child ages 4-11.

On Feb. 3, Explorit and more than 20 other museums in the Sacramento region will celebrate Museum Day with free admission all day long. During Museum Day, the science center will be bustling with a family-friendly festival. Special activities set up just for the afternoon will showcase activities from many different Explorit programs that most public visitors never get to see.

February will also herald the start of the “Give Explorit a Hand” Drive as a phase of our ongoing capital campaign. Community members can order unique hand-shaped plaques that will be mounted for permanent display in Explorit’s new facility. Each plaque will be engraved with the donor’s name or personal message. Consider making a donation for a hand plaque as a unique way to honor or memorialize a special person and to support Explorit’s expansion project at the same time. Look for order information on Explorit’s Web site soon.

Artist Chris Daubert is creating an outdoor sculpture, titled “Standing Wave,” for the south plaza of Explorit’s new site. The sculpture is large and dramatic, spanning nearly 40 feet long by 12 feet high and featuring more than 20 painted images depicting science in motion. Installation of the piece should be well under way, or possibly even completed, by February. No doubt it will be an intriguing eye-catcher to anyone driving along Second Street or westbound Interstate 80. Watch for it!

In March, Explorit’s Mace Park Branch will reopen to visiting school groups for new Nature Lab and Nature Safari programs. These indoor and outdoor programs will build upon the popular Insect Safari programs Explorit has offered as school field trips for the past several years. During indoor Nature Labs, students will learn about the function and structure of plants through live animal observation, plant dissection and more. Nature Safaris will take place outside as students use Mace Ranch Community Park as an outdoor classroom to learn about local plants and animals.

March will also mark the debut of another public space at Explorit’s new site on 2nd Street. The Wet Lab, located just off the Jonsson Exhibit Gallery on the first floor, will open March 17. Outfitted with sinks and stainless steel tables, the Wet Lab will provide a perfect space for the fun but messy experiments Explorit’s exhibit designers dream up to complement the Changing Exhibitions. Come experience for yourself what wet and wild experiments are in store in the Wet Lab.

A highlight of 2007 will likely be Explorit’s 25th anniversary festival scheduled for late April. Watch for more information on Explorit’s Web site this spring. We invite everyone in the community to come celebrate Explorit’s first 25 years of engaging hands-on science programs.

As you can see, there’s plenty in store for 2007 at Explorit! Have you made that resolution yet to come visit Explorit often in the coming year?

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Explorit Science Center is open at its new site, 2801 Second St., Davis. Through March 11, you can visit the exhibition “From Codes to Crystals: Patterns all Around.” Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information: www.explorit.org or (530) 756-0191.