January 25, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Trien, 585-410-6359, strien@museumofplay.org
Secrets of Circles Exhibit Opens at
Strong National Museum of Play®
Saturday, February 17
How much work does it take to move a giant tire? What if wheels weren’t round? What do a ball, a banana, and a bagel all have in common?
Kids big and little will be happily engaged in circular reasoning at Secrets of Circles, a new exhibit that celebrates the simplicity, splendor, and science of this amazing shape. The exhibit opens at Strong National Museum of Play® Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18 with a weekend celebration including performances by the Bubble Guy, followed by a week of circular school-break activities.
Circles are everywhere! But why? Discover why circles are the best shape for both pizza and car wheels, why bubbles and the iris of your eye are both circles, and the many ways people have used circles throughout time and across cultures. The highly interactive, trilingual exhibit—featuring English, Spanish, and Vietnamese signage— inspires children and families to explore the math, science, and engineering of circles at 18 activity stations. Among the highlights:
• Giant Tire: Have you ever actually stepped inside a huge tire? Kids and adults will love the challenge of moving a giant truck tire from the inside.
• Compass Table: Draw circle after circle on a glow-in-the-dark table using three different kinds of compasses.
• On a Roll: As balls and discs careen across a slowly-moving turntable, guests explore the spinning and rolling patterns of two- and three-dimensional circles.
• Ripple Table: Touch a wand to the surface and watch circles ripple outward from whatever point you touch on this digital pond.
• Inventing the Wheel: See why the wheel was such a great invention when you compare the difficulty of lugging a brick on a flat platform versus one mounted on wheels.
• Wood Lathe: Using a modern version of an ancient lathe, guests can slowly and safely carve the wood into fanciful circular shapes.
• Circles in the World: Play in a pretend market full of circles from around the globe: onions, pulleys, baskets, a Vietnamese round boat, and more.
• Gear Up: Build your own gear contraptions to turn a music box dancer, a clock, and a drill.
• Line Dance: A computerized version of Etch A Sketch® shows that back-and-forth plus up-and-down sometimes does equal round and round!
Secrets of Circles remains at Strong National Museum of Play® through May 6, 2007. The exhibit was created and is circulated by the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose and is made possible with major funding from the National Science Foundation and corporate support from KPMG, Fujitsu, Computer Products of America, and Marvell Semiconductor. A host of notable museum professionals, math and science academics, and development psychologists served on the project’s National Advisory Committee.
Strong National Museum of Play®, located in downtown Rochester, New York, is the only museum in the world devoted to the study of play as it illuminates American popular culture.
Hours (Beginning September 5, 2006):
Monday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.;
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
Admission Fees
General Admission (does not include Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™):
Adults $9.00; Seniors $8.00; Children (2–17) $7.00; Children younger than two free; Strong members free.
Admission to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™:
General Admission fee plus $3.00 per person for members and nonmembers; Children younger than two free.
Due to limited capacity, entry to Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden™ is by timed tickets only. Advance purchase is recommended. Please call 585-263-2700 to purchase timed tickets.