Bubble Room

In the bubble room, children learn about airflow, surface tension, geometric shapes, and color. Some of the fun, interactive components of the bubble room include bubble tables, bubble wands, a bubble wall, and a bubble hoop in which children can surround themselves in a giant bubble! Photo by Haverland Photography.

Body Basics

Follow the Magic School Bus characters, Ms. Frizzle and Digestive Dan, on an adventure through the human body! Full of interactive components that teach complex body functions in a simple and hands-on manner, Body Basics introduces visitors to a wide range of functions from head to toe. Bright graphics and interactive components feature a crawl-through stomach, giant body parts, and large two-dimensional graphic panels that give visitors big and small the sensation of walking through a giant pop-up book of "My Body." Photo by Haverland Photography.

Toddler Room

Infants and toddlers require facilities tailored to their unique developmental needs, their vulnerabilities, and their capabilities. We considered the developmental milestones for infants, crawler, and toddlers through brain research data as we designed the room. All areas of the exhibit meet child safety standards for this age range and the space will only be accessible to children ages birth through 35 months, and their caregivers.

Toy Inventors' Workshop

This exhibit features a central workstation for children to create fabulous toys and other inventions from common household goods. Explore the artist inside you by creating a number of fun, take-home projects.

Brazilian Rainforest Theater

Beware the giant anthill has you duck beneath lush foliage and enter the heart of a Brazilian Rainforest, our newest exhibit on the second floor of the Gilbert House. Gorgeous murals frame the stage and a brilliant waterfall creates the perfect backdrop for performers. A camera and TV screen allow actors to watch their performances as they happen. Costumes include animal-print capes, safari hats, and more to help visitors create open-ended adventures.

Go Figure!

Go Figure! features six large book components that start at the top of the front stairs in Gilbert House with Goldilocks and the Three Bears - you can see the front of the book very well from the landing on the steps. Right outside the door to the exhibit is a book component with activity extension brochures and information listing the books in the exhibit. As you walk in the bright, colorful room you are greeted by four additional large book components: Frog and Toad Are Friends, The Quilt, Arthur's Pet Shop, and The Doorbell Rang. Each book component has a fun, hands-on activity for children and information on the math connections for the adults.

Undersea Cave of Frozen Shadows

This is the new and improved Shadow Room! Relocated to the Gilbert House and redesigned with marine murals and glowing jellyfish suspended from the ceiling, the Shadow Room remains a favorite exhibit. Press the button, walk over to the wall, pose, and, flash! your shadow remains on the wall. The material on the wall of our Shadow Room absorbs light energy and re-emits it for several seconds. Where you made a shadow, less light hits the wall and less light is re-emitted. Your shadow remains after you move away. Also, take a dive in the USS Gilbert Submarine Station with a peak-a-boo view into the Shadow Room.

A Walk Through Time
Opened February 2010

Throughout the ages, different cultures have tracked time in various ways. Explore with us how these methods are connected and also unique. This interactive exhibit teaches the distinction between analogue and digital clocks, modern calendars versus those of the ancient world, and how days and weeks are tracked. Try this: have a seat in the time machine and pretend to travel to any date in the past or future. What was the world like a thousand years aog? What will it be like thousands of years from now?