Would you like to take a seat in Charles Darwin's living room? Or check out a neon hot dog? Or take a tour inside the human body?

You can do all that and more in Beakman's World On Tour, a traveling exhibit that opened Saturday at the North Museum of Natural History and Science in Lancaster.

The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 13, 2008, features 3,000 square feet of hands-on activities designed to make science come alive for children, says Sarah Clarke, the museum's program manager.

"It's just a really fun exhibit, and I think fun is important," she says.

Beakman's World On Tour — based on the Emmy award-winning children's television show of the same name — was designed by the Cincinnati Museum Center and is chock-full of interactive opportunities to learn about science.

"The North Museum is looking to go along a more interactive route, and this exhibit includes aspects that go really well with what we already have in our permanent collections," Clarke says.

The museum's permanent exhibits include areas devoted to space exploration, rocks and minerals, dinosaurs and more.

"It's important for the museum to bring in something that would enhance our existing collections," Clarke says. "The longer you can get somebody to stay and interact with an exhibit, the more they're going to learn and the more engaged they'll become."

Beakman's World On Tour features four main areas of interest, located throughout the main floor and the museum's lower level.

"The biggest area deals with ecology and the rain forest," says Clarke, noting that it features touch screens full of interactive learning opportunities, an oversized keyboard that plays a variety of "jungle noises" and a tunnel kids can climb through to learn about endangered animals along the way.

Another area of the exhibit includes information on the electromagnetic spectrum.

"When you hear those words — 'electromagnetic spectrum' — they sound dull, but this exhibit makes learning about light exciting," Clarke says. "Kids can do various light experiments and check out a neon hot dog, while learning about what types of light were used to create it."

An area devoted to outer space urges visitors to consider things like, "What would happen if I went to explore Mars?," Clarke says.

Visitors can also learn all about the human body, taking tours via touch screens and learning about illness in a unique way.

"There's a display that's set up like a Foosball table, but instead of the little guys that kick the ball down the field, there are red blood cells, and you get sick if you get past them," Clarke says, describing the Immune System Foosball Game.

Prehistoric Passage encourages visitors to sort fossils or participate in a dinosaur dig, while Darwin's Living Room teaches all about natural selection.

The age range of the exhibit is as wide as the range of visitors to the museum, Clarke says.

"I've seen 2- or 3-year-olds climbing in the tunnel and watching the videos, and then I know older kids — middle-school and high-school kids — will love things in the exhibit, too. And of course, it's all a lot of fun for adults, too."

Beakman's World is the largest exhibit the North Museum has ever hosted, making it a challenge just to get its components in the building.

It took several days to unload and set up everything, Clarke says, and finding space inside for it all was "interesting," she laughs.

"We don't have that much extra room, so we had to really think about where everything was going to go," she says.

Sponsors who helped defray the cost of the exhibit include Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Jack Treier Inc., Lancaster General Hospital and WLYH CW15, the Harrisburg-based station that airs "Beakman's World" at 9 and 9:30 a.m. Sundays.

"I hope families will come out and enjoy the exhibit together," Clarke says. "There's really something for everyone, and all of it takes something that's a little dry — and maybe even a little boring — and turns it into something interesting, interactive and fun."

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

WHAT: Beakman's World On Tour

WHERE: North Museum of Natural History and Science, 400 College Ave., Lancaster

WHEN: Exhibit runs through Jan. 13, 2008.

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday

COST: $7; $6 for children ages 3 to 12 and seniors 65 and older

CONTACT: 291-3941 or www.northmuseum.org
CONTACT US: cmolitoris@LNPnews.com or 291-8758