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After spending a couple of years thinking about this, found that simple v.
high profile interventions outdoors works well- fits in better with the
natural environment, and also serves the needs of repeat visitation. A big
factor in outdoor experiences. Some of my take-aways were:

- You can do things with natural phenomena that change over time (grow,
degrade, morph, make sounds, wind, water (bubbles are a great way to play
with water and not get wet, etc.).
- You can provide filters or frames to help focus what is going on, provide
some interpretation, but start with fostering wonder.
- You can create social media markers and hooks into outdoors (think
connections to weather, mapping, civil resources, other people).
- You can use basic landscaping material as opportunities for robust and
inexpensive "exhibits".

I once put a clear plex barrier around a manhole cover outside the
Exploratorium with clear flexible 1" D tubing. Visitors really liked to
listen to the mysterious sounds (which were primarily the toilets flushing
in the museum).

Cheap, humble, and worked well to get them to wonder about what was going on
in the world beneath their feet.

Maria Mortati

-- 
curator: http://www.sfmobilemuseum.org/
site: http://mortati.com

On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 12:19 PM, Eric Siegel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Yes, as a matter of fact a boulder maze that was built at the NY Botanical
> Garden for the Children's Adventure Garden may in fact be the best,
> cheapest, and funnest outdoor exhibit I have seen.  I always wanted to try
> it here as a geology maze, which could be very cool.
>
> E
>
>
>
> Eric Siegel
> esiegel at nyscience dot org
> projects web site at http://www.etsiegel.net
>
>
> NY Hall of Science is on:
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/nysci
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nysci
> YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nyhallofscience
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 29, 2010, at 3:15 PM, Ed Sobey wrote:
>
> > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> >
> *****************************************************************************
> >
> > In a 2-hour visit how long does someone play with a whisper dish? What
> can
> > they do with it? It is robust only in the sense that it's tough to
> destroy.
> > It's not robust in the sense that it serves many uses.
> >
> > Robust is nice, as is inexpensive, but a large rock is both. The rock
> > provides more opportunities for exploring.
> >
> > Ed
> >
> >
> > Ed Sobey, Ph.D.
> > Global Advocate for Creative Learning
> > Northwest Invention Center
> > (206) 240-1516
> > www.invention-center.com
> > www.kidsinvent.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ***********************************************************************
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