Before the kids can even start to whine about not liking science, Kohl Children’s Museum and Abbott have teamed up to create a new exhibit that just might make them love it first.
The museum unveils its new Science + You exhibit later this month that puts children in the shoes of real Abbott scientists.
“The wonderful thing about science is it helps ignite that sense of curiosity and imagination. This is a skill that children need in almost anything they do in life,” says Sheridan Turner, president and CEO of Kohl Children’s Museum.
The 1,200-square-foot exhibit revolves around a child-size laboratory, full of hands-on activities and technology, as well as a demonstration area where real Abbott scientists will conduct experiments. The exhibit’s overall message focuses on how science contributes to the health and well-being of kids around the world, she says.
Turner’s favorite piece of the exhibit? The antibodies. “It’s so cool,” she says. At the plastic structure filled with magnetic balls, the “germs,” children grasp the moveable antibodies, attach them to the germs and maneuver the germs through the labyrinth to the white blood cells, showing kids how the body takes care of itself.
The exhibit opens at 10:30 a.m. July 19. It will be in place at Kohl until early January, when it moves to Washington, D.C., and then on its worldwide tour.
Turner says Science + You has been one of the most challenging exhibits to create. “But at the end of day, I think it will be a blockbuster. … This is an absolute must for every family because there is going to be something to learn for everybody.”
