MOOOO-VING IN!

We're udderly excited to announce that Annabelle the Amazing Milking Cow has moved into "The Oregon Room," our newest hands-on exhibit at the children's museum. Thanks to the Marion County Dairy Women for their generous contribution that made this interactive component possible.

Elephant Toothpaste

In last week's Messy Science workshop, kids 5-7 tried their hands at kid-friendly, non-toxic chemical reacations. In the picture above (featuring future chemists Kat and Rei), a splash of dish detergent, a measure of hydrogen peroxide, and some yeast creates not just a messy explosion but an exothermic reaction. Props to Steve Spangler for this cool science project!

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Some of the kid reactions (besides "WOW" and a lot of screaming!) to the reactions were ...

"Wouldn't it be cool if I had one of these in my bathroom! I'd wash my hands ALL DAY LONG!" (Now, if we can only come up with a chemical reaction that will inspired them to clean their rooms!)

Boy #1: "I've never seen this at the zoo. Where do you suppose they keep it?"
Boy #2: "Of course you've never seen it. IT'S A SECRET RECEIPT!" (Notice the RECEIPT instead of RECIPE)

"Where's an elephant when you need one?"

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We have many more classes and workshops coming up, so check out our website for the full descriptions.

And mark your calendars now for Sizzlin' Science, a three-day extravaganza in February. Details will be in our winter newsletter. If you're not signed up to receive our e-News, head on over to this page and get the ball rolling!

The Oregon Room Opens Today

Do you have the pioneer spirit?

Then make a trail to A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, where its newest exhibit “The Oregon Room” opens today.




“The Oregon Room” is the latest addition to the dozens of hands-on exhibits at the children’s museum in downtown Salem’s Riverfront Park.

Visitors can walk behind a waterfall, through a volcanic mountain and enter a miniature Willamette Valley. Families can learn about the state’s food web as they pick apples in the exhibit’s orchard and tend vegetables in the fields. A coastal mountain range divides the exhibit. Visitors can hike through the mountain pass then beach comb at the coast, complete with real sand and a simulated tide pool that holds marine-themed puppets for the puppet theatre.

The “Eastern Oregon Annex” includes a fossil dig and petroglyph wall with a display of rocks and gems. Children can make their own petroglyph with a heat-sensitive imprint on the wall. Throughout both spaces, lush murals by local artist Abram Heard depict that state’s ecological diversity.

“Our museum is all about playing and learning,” explained Assistant Director Kim Baldwin, who spearheaded the design team composed of museum staff and designers from Interpretive Exhibits. “We typically do a ‘soft open’ of our exhibits, watch how the kids play, and learn from them in order to fine-tune the exhibit. We’ll continue to make changes and additions (while keeping the exhibit open) throughout the year.”

Still to come!

• “Annabel the Incredible Milking Cow” – a black and white Holstein replica that “moos,” made possible by a contribution from the Marion County Dairy Women Association
• Grass Seed Display - examples in Plexiglas viewers on the greenhouse crops wall
• Flowerpot puzzles for toddlers in the greenhouse display
• Ocean Marine Reserves conservation maps
• A Native American legend about the four elements
• A crawl-through animal burrow
• An environmental stewardship board
• A slideshow of landscape photography from throughout the state


Suitable for all ages and entirely wheel-chair accessible, the interactive and dynamic exhibit highlights Oregon’s topography, geology, geography and points of interest. The exhibit is funded in part by The Collins Foundation, Meyers Memorial Trust, Ann & Bill Swindells Charitable Trust and Juan Young Trust.

For more information, please call the museum at 503-371-3631.