Archive: Around Town

Anyone who has ever sat over math homework wondering “when will I ever need to use this stuff?” must check out the Sciencenter’s winter exhibition - Fun, 2, 3, 4: all about a number of things!  Opening at the museum the last weekend in January, this featured exhibition promises to answer that very question for museum visitors as they take a walk on the wild side of math.

Measurement, estimation, counting and calculation take on new meaning as your whole body gets involved in measuring a dinosaur, counting like the Aztecs, testing your reaction time, and playing funky hopscotch.  Clever kids can learn how to best grow their allowance savings, and the daring and observant can help solve a millimeter mystery and uncover funny math bloopers.

As part of the exhibition’s opening weekend celebration, visitors can make a kaleidoscope, play a Native American stick game, get messy as they explore volume, transform themselves into a giant puzzle, and more. These special hands-on activities will be offered on both Saturday, January 29, and Sunday, January 30, from 12 to 4 p.m.

Sciencenter Exhibitions Curator Kathy Krafft will be on hand to lead a behind-the-scenes tour of the traveling exhibition on Saturday, January 29, at 2 p.m., as a special “Showtime!” presentation. Visitors can learn about what goes into developing an exhibition from scratch, the importance of making and testing prototype exhibits, and of the unique stories about the exhibition’s connection to Ithaca. Since being developed by the Sciencenter, Fun, 2, 3, 4 has traveled to more than twenty other museums across the United States to introduce families to the fun, importance and surprises of math.

The exhibition, special activities and Showtime! presentation are all included with museum admission.

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