New Sky and Space Exhibit at Northwoods Children's Museum

EAGLE RIVER -- A newly renovated Sky and Space exhibit is now open at the Northwoods Children’s Museum. The science-based exhibit, located in the museum’s changeable theme area, will be open through February.

The interactive exhibit is designed to help children explore and better understand aspects of the universe including the sun, planets and their rotation, stars, nebula and black holes.

The exhibit includes mini replicas of a space rocket and space shuttle for children to role play what being an astronaut is like. Also featured are “planets,” wooden circles on rollers painted to represent the different planets in our solar system. Sitting on the wooden planet seats, children can ride around the museum as if they were a rotating planet.

“The Sky and Space theme helps children learn about the universe and they have fun climbing in the space rocket and shuttle,” said operations coordinator Rouleen Gartner. “Our volunteers have worked hard to refurbish the exhibit. They have rebuilt some of the structure and created a black hole to add new dimension to the exhibit.”

During this time the museum’s Art Center will feature table crafts that reflect the Sky and Space theme. These crafts will use paper tubes and other art supplies to allow children to create projects to take home.

“The changeable theme area allows us to have different exhibits throughout the year,” Gartner explained. “This adds interest for museum visitors and allows us to have different exhibits that we don’t have the space to have up throughout the year.”

In March and April the theme area will feature Wisconsin’s Living Past which includes a mine replica and maple syrup exhibit.

In May, the theme will be Fresh from the Farm and the museum will host a baby farm animal.

Other themes planned in 2010 are Around the World from June through September, Cranberries from October through November and an ethnic Christmas celebration in December.

Museum admission is $6 per person, ages 1 to 100, and annual memberships are available beginning at $70.

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays during the school year.

For more information, call the museum at (715) 479-4623 or visit the website at www.northwoodschildrensmuseum.com.

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