ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Tabatha,

We here at Discovery Creek Children's Museum have our mobile exhibition, The
Rolling Rainforest. You can check out our website at www.discoverycreek.org
for all the details, but I've also listed some information below to get you
started.

The Rolling Rainforest is a 53-foot tractor trailer, but once inside you are
magically transported to a neotropical rainforest. The Rolling Rainforest is
a state-of-the-art mobile exhibition that provides immersion opportunities
for children to learn about their impact on the world's ecosystems. This
"curriculum on wheels" provides Discovery Creek's educators with a backdrop
for environmental education programs that are hands-on, inquiry-based, and
require critical thinking.

Program Overview:
At the schools, Museum educators work with elementary-grade teachers and
students to provide 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-hour programs. Teachers may select from
a variety of programs that cover subjects such as biodiversity, people and
culture, migration, and scientific expeditions. To prepare for and conclude
these programs, Discovery Creek provides pre- and post-visit activities to
teachers.

Program Goals:
The Rolling Rainforest aims to introduce students to the rainforest
ecosystem and its importance globally and locally; to explore students'
connections to the rainforest and the ways they affect it; and to use the
rainforest as a springboard for exploring their own environment.

Mobile Exhibition Specs:
The Rolling Rainforest is a tropical rainforest exhibition housed in a
tractor-trailer that is 53-feet long, 8 1/2-feet wide, and 13 1/2-feet high.
When the entrance stairs are in use, the width increases to 17 feet.

Logistics:

- The Rolling Rainforest is generally on campus for one week. Shorter visits
may be arranged as well.

- The Rolling Rainforest must be positioned in a site that ensures easy
access and maneuverability for the driver, as well as limited disturbance
for the students. We make every effort to park the truck in the
school/organization's preferred spot, but the final location of the truck is
at the discretion of the driver and Museum staff. Overnight security for the
trailer is provided by the Museum; however, all efforts on the part of
school faculty and staff to protect the trailer from vandalism are very much
appreciated. 

If you want more information please feel free to contact us at Discovery
Creek!

Sincerely,
 
Annie A.K. Hanson
Director of School Programs
Discovery Creek Children's Museum of Washington
 
2233 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20007
202-337-5111 ex127

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tabatha Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 5:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Portable museums

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*

Hello,

At Explorit we have a well-developed, outreach program with vans 
traveling to schools or community centers. Educators unpack bins of 
activities in classrooms and auditoriums, thus transforming the room 
into a science center for a day.

What I want to know about it is outreach programs where the model is 
a bus/ trailer/truck brought to a school and the visitors tromp in- a 
museum on wheels. This way the exhibit is there for a longer time so 
that more people can experience it . It would also allow us to 
introduce items that are too heavy for an educator to unload.

I know of some examples such as Crocker Art Museum's "Art Ark" and 
the LA Natural History Museum's themed buses. Are there any other 
great examples that I should investigate? Have you or other museums 
considered them? Tried them? Abandoned them?

You can post to the list, or directly to me.

Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!

Tabatha Bruce
-- 
----------------------------
Tabatha Bruce
Exhibit Developer,
Education Specialist,
SCIENCE Committee Coordinator


Explorit Science Center
3141 5th Street
P.O. Box 1288
Davis, CA 95617-1288
530.756.0191
fax 530.756.1227
[log in to unmask]
http://www.explorit.org


Explorit's expanding!  Read more about the four gallery spaces, how 
the building connects to Explorit's current site and when 
construction will begin at 
http://www.explorit.org/expansion/index.html.  Think it.  Try it. 
Explorit.

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