What kind of questions does “I Wonder” exhibit answer?
 
Somewhere in Davis is a 10-year-old boy named Kevin who deserves thanks for one of Explorit’s most popular exhibits this summer.
 
Kevin submitted a question to the center for use in creating the exhibition “I Wonder…,” which opened earlier this month upstairs in the Gumerlock Gallery.
 
His question: How do rockets fly?
 
Visitors learn the answer in Explorit’s hands-on fashion: The blow up a balloon, clamp the end and tape it to a straw on a wire strung across the gallery. The moment of truth comes when they unclamp the end, rocketing the balloon 50 feet to the wire’s end.
 
“I Wonder…” helps museum guests discover answers to dozens of other questions submitted by the public over the past year.
 
“What has more slime: a snail, a slug or a worm?” Judge for yourself by holding them, although to be honest we’re having trouble finding large slugs. The snails and worms are thriving, though, and also answer a question about composting.
 
Three questions send visitors into a darkened tent for answers: What are stars made of? Why do we see rainbows? Why is the sky different colors at certain times of day?
 
A 6-year-old named Owen submitted another question that became one of the exhibition’s more popular activities: How do parachutes get people down slowly? The answer reveals itself through creating a small parachute and dropping it out of the second-floor window (with staff assistance).
 
A sampling of other questions selected for the exhibit:
• How do fish breathe in water?
• How do plants eat?
• How do telescopes work?
• Why does everything havc a color?
• How big is a T-rex skull? (That’s answered simply by looking up at a quarter-scale replica mounted on the wall like a hunter’s prized elk head.)
• What is dust?
 
Some questions stumped the staff, such as “Why aren’t aliens real?” and “Why are people judged differently?” Museum visitors are encouraged to write their theories in three journals placed with the questions.
 
Another set of questions is posted in the hallway to the restrooms. These questions are answered, but not in hands-on style. “Why can’t you talk in outer space?” “How can animals sleep without lying down?”
 
And finally, a wistful “Is there ever going to be a dinosaur alive again?”
 
The exhibit runs through Sept. 6 and is sponsored by Northrop Grumman. 
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Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 27, when Explorit will hold a rummage sale from 8 a.m.-noon at its Mace Park Branch, 3141 Fifth St. Most of the sale items were used in our science exhibits over the past 27 years. This will not be your ordinary rummage sale! Proceeds will support the nonprofit center’s science education programs. 
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Explorit Science Center is at 2801 Second St., Davis. Public hours: 2-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Admission is $4 general, free for ages 3 and under. It’s free for everyone on the fourth Friday of each month. For more information: (530) 756-0191 or www.explorit.org.