Nature museum goes out on a limb with new exhibit
When a recent study found that kids weren't developing an appreciation for trees, the Arbor Day Foundation knew it had to take action. The not-for-profit organization helped create the traveling exhibit “Exploring Trees Inside and Out,” which launched three years ago in Seattle and is making its final stop at Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
“If (people) weren't exposed to trees when they were younger, they're less likely to care about trees when they're older,” said Kevin Sander, director of corporate partnerships for the Arbor Day Foundation. “This exhibit is designed to bring kids in to have fun and experience the environment.”
Running through Jan. 30, the exhibit lets kids who might not have a chance to climb real trees an opportunity to clamber around a treehouse play space with rope nets and a slide that lands in a pile of leaves. An area inside the artificial tree shows different parts of the tree's trunk and how water travels from the roots to leaves and the leaves send nourishment to the roots.
A nearby giant nest includes oversized twigs and eggs to play with. Kids can also put on costumes and watch themselves flying in front of a green screen as a ladybug, squirrel or bird.
There's also a giant acorn to crawl inside and learn about seeds, and visitors can also look at different types of seeds and leaves under a magnifying glass.
“There's no reason science has to be boring,” said Steve Sullivan, the museum's curator of urban ecology. “Nature's around us and it's cool. It's fun and accessible.”
The exhibit is packed with interactive activities geared toward making visitors more aware of nature around them. There are two stations where visitors can play sounds made by animals that make their homes in trees, like a cardinal, tree frog or squirrel, and then flip a panel to reveal what they were listening to.
A similar space lets them breathe in the smells of maple syrup and cinnamon and learn how these come from different parts of a tree. Kids can draw pictures of trees and use wooden blocks to build birdhouses, furniture and more abstract shapes.
The Notebaert Museum added two areas to the traveling exhibit. One shows a cross-section of a cottonwood that stood on the museum grounds for more than a century. The display teaches how tree rings can be used to determine not only a tree's age, but how hot and wet the weather was when it was growing. It also shows what rings correspond to events like when the Cubs last won the World Series.
The other addition is a display showing wood samples and photographs taken by a Glen Ellyn resident between 1899 and 1901.
“We make sure to bring scientific specimens in,” Sullivan said. “I love watching my kids play on jungle gyms, but I want to have something really interesting to read. Here at the nature museum we try to create an experience where the whole family can have fun together.”
“Exploring Trees Inside and Out”
“Exploring Trees Inside and Out”
Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, (773) 755-5100, chias.org
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Admission: $9, $7 seniors and students, $6 kids ages 3 to 12; free on Thursdays