Hours into my crazed, holiday shopping, I did the unthinkable: I quit. I was pooped. I was tired of struggling to find the perfect gift for the perfect people in my life and frankly my feet were screaming in pain after their third trip around the mall. I plopped down in one of the chairs and began to re-think my idea of what a gift should be. I wanted something that was easy, affordable, memorable…Something that was exciting…Something extraordinary. The word extraordinary brought to mind one thing: Discovery Place. I think of all the faces, young and old, that I see in the Museum and how what we do here at Discovery Place changes their idea of what science is. Why not share these experiences with the ones I care about? Why not give the gift of Membership? I thought of the many... Keep reading.

At this time of year, people often wonder why or how they can support
Discovery Place. We asked one of our Supporting Member families to help
explain.

Karen and Henry Chow have been Supporting Members since 2001. They come to Discovery Place about ten times a year with their son Christopher (age 10), who loves experiments with science and technology, constructing machines to solve problems, and being creative. Karen and Henry are grateful that Christopher can fulfill all of these things at Discovery Place. His favorite exhibit, by far, is Kapla Blocks where he can build tall towers and small cities. He even has his own set at home.

Karen and Henry both enjoy the IMAX® movies and special traveling exhibitions like A Day in Pompeii and SHIPWRECK! Pirates and Treasure. ... Keep reading.

Rat Basketball has just drafted some new players and they need names. We are training new rats to play in the popular Rat Basketball games but they are still without names. There are two rats to be named and both are females. Send us your ideas for these new superstar athletes and we'll pick the best ones. Suggestions will be accepted through November 12.

We often talk about the big successes at Discovery Place and we are very proud of those. But, it is the little things that happen here every day -- the small moments when we connect with a child or an adult and inspire them to see the world differently or give them an “aha!” moment – that embody our organization’s mission of igniting wonder.

One of the most popular exhibits in Discovery Place right now is Kapla. The response that these simple wooden building planks have generated from our visitors has been amazing. During a high school group’s visit to Discovery Place not too long ago, a contest to build the tallest tower out of Kapla Blocks broke out between classmates and quickly escalated to an intense competition. Circles of chanting, cheering,... Keep reading.

This question comes from one of the boxes on the “Renovation Kiosks” in the Museum and is one that is asked frequently.

Selecting which exhibitions to showcase at Discovery Place is a complex process that involves many departments on the Museum staff. To start, our Exhibits team maintains relationships with exhibition developers and other science centers around the world to keep abreast of what exhibitions are available and what is in development. In addition, they attend industry trade shows and conferences to see and learn what is out there.

The selection of a particular exhibition for Discovery Place involves our Learning Experiences, Marketing and Advancement teams along with the Exhibits group. Learning Experiences evaluates the educational value of the... Keep reading.