Kohl's new 'Sonic' exhibit lets kids explores sound
Visitors to “Sonic Sensation” will not only get to make and listen to a variety of different sounds — they'll also learn about how sound works by seeing its physical representations.
“The idea is to help children make a connection to how we hear,” said Sheridan Turner, president of the Kohl Children's Museum. “It fits everything we try to do, since there's science and math in here.”
The traveling exhibit, which runs through May 10, teaches children how sound and hearing work through interactive activities and displays. The front of the space features a large model that shows the complexity of the human ear with all the different parts labeled. Next to it is a set of pool balls that can be knocked together to represent how a sound wave starts a reaction that takes the vibration through the ear to the auditory nerve that sends a signal to the brain to process the noise.
“It's a very simple analogy, but parents can read that to their kids and then they can see a visual,” Turner said.
Turner said she expects parents to be very interested in a station where hearing can be tested by putting on headphones and adjusting the frequency of the sound until it can be heard. A graph is set up next to it to compare how a person's hearing measures up and if ears need to get checked.
Another display offers multiple ways of seeing sound. A tube is set up with speakers on both ends with small foam beads inside. Knobs can be turned to adjust the amplitude and frequency to see what different sound waves look like on a screen while watching how the waves move the beads around. Kids also can see sound waves in action by playing a xylophone attached to a screen, showing the sounds made by different notes.
Kids can learn about how sound relates to music all year at the museum's “Music Makers” exhibit, which is located next to the temporary exhibit space. Turner said that connection was one of the reasons Kohl brought in “Sonic Sensation.” Since the exhibit opened last week, one of the most popular features has been a mat where kids can move around to play different notes while watching themselves on video. A guide shows them how to play “London Bridge” or “Twinkle Twinkle,” though many kids seem to just delight in making noise by waving their hands and hopping up and down.
“It's a lot of problem-solving and hand-eye coordination to figure out how to do it,” Turner said. “This is the kind of thing that can keep a child busy for a long time until they get the desired result.”
The museum's youngest visitors can try the Critter Cabinet. A parent hides a plaque shaped like a cat or a cricket in one of many cabinets, and then the plaque starts making animal noises, encouraging kids to use their hearing to track down the source.
The museum is also running daily activities in its art studio themed around the exhibit, including making musical instruments from items found around the house and sticking a tuning fork in water to show how the sound vibrations produce splashes.
“It's different ways of visualizing what's going on to make it more understandable for the kids,” Turner said. “Kids love sound and music.”
“Sonic Sensation”
<b>Where: </b>Kohl Children's Museum, 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, (847) 832-6600 orkohlchildrensmuseum.org
<b>Hours: </b>9:30 a.m. to noon Monday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
<b>Price:</b>$9.50; $8.50 for seniors