G
Guest
Guest
Of course there's no mention of erotic sniffs and emissions, still I like this idea. Note: near the end is a mention of other cities to be visited by the display (sigh, none in CA). - Perdita
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"Grossology" museum exhibits burps, stinks - Laura Walsh
Jan. 3, 2004 | BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- It burps, sneezes, passes gas and just down right stinks.
It's all in the name of learning, though even staffers at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium have trouble keeping a straight face while discussing "Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body."
After all, the exhibit's highlights include a climbing wall modeled on human skin -- complete with oozing pimples and hairy moles -- and "Burp Man," a cartoon character who lets out a big, loud belch after visitors pump his stomach full of soda.
And then there's the "Toot Toot" machine that children use to make all sorts of embarrassing sounds.
"It's smelly and it's fun, but it's also a way to teach children about how their bodies work," said Linda Malkin, senior vice president of the museum.
The term "grossology" was coined by author Sylvia Branzei, who wrote a series of science books for children about bodily functions. Branzei, a former school teacher and microbiologist, said she believes children learn best when they are taught in their own language -- a language that includes words like "snot" and "barf."
Branzei developed the exhibit in collaboration with Advanced Animation LLC. It opened at the Discovery Museum in September and closes Jan. 11.
After walking through a larger-than-life mouth, visitors are first greeted by the "Y U Stink" center, where children are asked to match body odors with body parts -- think arm pits and dirty feet.
Most kids giggle and try to pronounce the complicated bacteria names that cause the different smells, but some just pinch their noses and yell "Ew!"
"That is too smelly," said 8-year-old Andrew Aikins, of Rumson, N.J. "The foot smell stinks."
That's just the idea, said Jeffrey M. Clair, chairman of the board of trustees at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium. In a world dominated by video games and ever-changing technology, children demand hands-on learning, Clair said.
"Kids expect it," he said. "If it's not interactive or stimulating, they get bored. Here is a way for us to teach them something that they enjoy and can relate to."
To make sure the children are learning just as much as they are playing, the exhibit comes complete with "grossology tidbits." Visitors quickly learn that one of their nostrils is bigger than the other and that carrying around skin can be a lot of work: The average adult's skin weighs about 7 lbs.
Another exhibit favorite is "Nigel Nose-It-All," who spouts plenty of nasal trivia about allergies, sinuses and colds. The 9-feet-tall animated figure is dressed in a bath robe and has a faucet for a nose (which occasionally drips).
"Some of this stuff I don't even want to look at," said Theresa Abbott of Milford, laughing. "It's disgusting with the dripping nose, but I guess it's science with a sense of humor.
"She's enjoying it and seems to be learning something, though," Abbott added, pointing to her granddaughter, 9-year-old Kellie, who was busy playing the role of a human kidney in "Urine: The Game."
Malkin said the grossology exhibit has been one of the most popular in the museum's 42-year history.
The exhibit will be making stops this year at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Mich.; the Louisville Science Center in Louisville, Ky.; the Omniplex Science Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.; the McWane Museum in Birmingham, Ala.; and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio.
Tanner Gibson, 8, of Ridgefield, will be sad to see it go.
"I don't think my teachers would teach me this," he said, while making "toot" noises, "but it would be cool if they did."
grossology (Salon.com)
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"Grossology" museum exhibits burps, stinks - Laura Walsh
Jan. 3, 2004 | BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- It burps, sneezes, passes gas and just down right stinks.
It's all in the name of learning, though even staffers at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium have trouble keeping a straight face while discussing "Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body."
After all, the exhibit's highlights include a climbing wall modeled on human skin -- complete with oozing pimples and hairy moles -- and "Burp Man," a cartoon character who lets out a big, loud belch after visitors pump his stomach full of soda.
And then there's the "Toot Toot" machine that children use to make all sorts of embarrassing sounds.
"It's smelly and it's fun, but it's also a way to teach children about how their bodies work," said Linda Malkin, senior vice president of the museum.
The term "grossology" was coined by author Sylvia Branzei, who wrote a series of science books for children about bodily functions. Branzei, a former school teacher and microbiologist, said she believes children learn best when they are taught in their own language -- a language that includes words like "snot" and "barf."
Branzei developed the exhibit in collaboration with Advanced Animation LLC. It opened at the Discovery Museum in September and closes Jan. 11.
After walking through a larger-than-life mouth, visitors are first greeted by the "Y U Stink" center, where children are asked to match body odors with body parts -- think arm pits and dirty feet.
Most kids giggle and try to pronounce the complicated bacteria names that cause the different smells, but some just pinch their noses and yell "Ew!"
"That is too smelly," said 8-year-old Andrew Aikins, of Rumson, N.J. "The foot smell stinks."
That's just the idea, said Jeffrey M. Clair, chairman of the board of trustees at the Discovery Museum and Planetarium. In a world dominated by video games and ever-changing technology, children demand hands-on learning, Clair said.
"Kids expect it," he said. "If it's not interactive or stimulating, they get bored. Here is a way for us to teach them something that they enjoy and can relate to."
To make sure the children are learning just as much as they are playing, the exhibit comes complete with "grossology tidbits." Visitors quickly learn that one of their nostrils is bigger than the other and that carrying around skin can be a lot of work: The average adult's skin weighs about 7 lbs.
Another exhibit favorite is "Nigel Nose-It-All," who spouts plenty of nasal trivia about allergies, sinuses and colds. The 9-feet-tall animated figure is dressed in a bath robe and has a faucet for a nose (which occasionally drips).
"Some of this stuff I don't even want to look at," said Theresa Abbott of Milford, laughing. "It's disgusting with the dripping nose, but I guess it's science with a sense of humor.
"She's enjoying it and seems to be learning something, though," Abbott added, pointing to her granddaughter, 9-year-old Kellie, who was busy playing the role of a human kidney in "Urine: The Game."
Malkin said the grossology exhibit has been one of the most popular in the museum's 42-year history.
The exhibit will be making stops this year at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Mich.; the Louisville Science Center in Louisville, Ky.; the Omniplex Science Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.; the McWane Museum in Birmingham, Ala.; and the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio.
Tanner Gibson, 8, of Ridgefield, will be sad to see it go.
"I don't think my teachers would teach me this," he said, while making "toot" noises, "but it would be cool if they did."
grossology (Salon.com)
