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‘Tubes and Tunnels’ opens at DuPage Children’s Museum

It’s the bright colors and unusual shapes that probably first attract kids to the new “Tubes and Tunnels” exhibit at the DuPage Children’s Museum.

What they likely don’t realize is all the balls, tubes and other structures are designed to teach them some basic concepts of physics.

The new exhibit at the Naperville-based museum recently opened to give curious kids of all ages a chance to learn some lessons while playing.

The space where the new exhibit was built previously held a roller coaster exhibit that taught similar scientific theories. “Tubes and Tunnels” is designed to be larger and even more interactive.

“The old exhibit was small, you could walk around it, whereas now you’re in it,” said Peter Crabbe, associate director of exhibits and design at the museum.

Children can connect tubes and roll balls through the tunnels they create to get a close-up view of the basic concepts of gravity, speed and motion in action.

“A ball has very little friction, so using them is the best way to learn about simple physics,” Crabbe said.

The new exhibit uses the whole room. There are different stations so a lot of children can play at the same time; they also can work together on the same station.

“You are experimenting with the laws of physics in a 3-D space,” Crabbe said.

Children of all ages will find it fun to explore and experiment in the exhibit. Young children can use it at their level and Crabbe expects older children will be more engaged with the actual concepts.

Children can learn a lot from the exhibit, but it can also be used just for play. It was designed with bright colors and interactive stations to amuse and enjoy.

“It’s not only educational; learning is supposed to be fun,” Crabbe said.

If you’re interested in experiencing “Tubes and Tunnels” or other exhibits at the museum, you can visit dupagechildrensmuseum.org to view summer hours or plan your visit.

  Brandon Bohr experiments rolling a ball down an incline in the “Tubes and Tunnels” exhibit. Rick Majewski/rmajewski@dailyherald.com

DuPage Children’s Museum new “Tubes and Tunnels” exhibit

<B>When:</B> 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays

<B>Where:</B> 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville

<B>Cost:</B> Museum admission is $8.50 per person, $7.50 for seniors

<B>Info:</B> <a href="http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/">dupagechildrensmuseum.org</a>