Is “Pompeii: The Exhibition” Good for Kids? We Explored the Museum of Science and Industry’s New Exhibit to Find Out

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Indoor Places to GofallPlaces to Gospringsummerwinter

Science Storms

Located on the Main Floor, you won’t be able to miss this one!
This area is full of interactive exhibits, like changing the frequency and amplitude of waves and seeing the result of your choices on a water table, demonstrations and interactive enormous tornado, real, live man-made lightening on the ceiling, and more.

Genetics and the Baby Chick Hatchery

Located on the Main Level next to the Transportation Gallery, where the planes are hanging from the ceiling.
An average of 15 chicks hatch every day at the museum this time of year.

Numbers in Nature: A Mirror Maze

Located next to Coal Mine on the Main Level.
Be sure to visit the kiosk next to the exhibit early… the mirror maze is included in Museum Entry, however you need a timed ticket.

photo courtesy of Museum of Science and Industry

Located on the Main Floor behind both the Extreme Ice and Earth Revealed exhibits.
My kids thought this was really fascinating and spent a long time whispering to each other.

The Great Train Story

Located in the Transportation Gallery area on the Main Level.
Watch the trains travel around the city and countryside and have the opportunity to press buttons to raise and lower.

Swiss Jolly Ball

Located on the Lower Level by the main eating area and next to the cafe.
Although this is the busiest seating area (there are other places to eat lunch if you brought one), it’s entertaining to watch the ball make it’s way around the found-object machine.

Farm Tech

Located on the Lower Level next to the Swiss Jolly Ball.
Explore the technology involved in producing the world’s food. Ride in farming vehicles, test your cow-milking skills, and learn about how food goes from the farm, to your kitchen table.

U-505 Submarine

Discover the epic story of the capture of the U-505, a World War II submarine alongside the sub itself. On your way to the exhibit visit U-505 Submarine: 75 Stories to see photographs and artifacts that detail the early history of the sub and lives of German and American sailors.

Interactive Screen

Located on the Lower Level by the Circus exhibit.
Strike different poses to catch falling colored particles.

Giant Dome Theater

Enjoy the Museum’s capacity-controlled five-story wraparound domed theater to watch films about Everest, Michael Jordan to the Max, Passport to the Universe, or Volcanos.

Extreme Ice

This review originally published in March, 2017 and was written by Annie Tandy.

Extreme Ice shows how glaciers are melting around the world through beautiful photographs and time-lapse videography. The images featured in Extreme Ice were captured over a multi-year period by photographer James Balog. Balog and his team documented 24 glaciers from around the globe. Scenes depicted in the exhibit include the Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, Grinnell Glacier in Montana’s Glacier National Park, Mount Everest in Nepal, and many more.

Birthday Canyon, Greenland Ice Sheet, Greenland, 28 June 2009, Adam LeWinter surveys Birthday Canyon
Black deposit in bottom of channel is cryoconite. Birthday Canyon is approximately 150 feet deep.

The beginning of the exhibit features a seven minute video about how climate change is causing dramatic glacier melt. There are several examples demonstrating how rapidly it is occurring around the world.

After the video you are free to walk around to view various videos and screens, one of which gives ideas as to what we can do to help the environment. Another has interactive maps, showcasing the potential impact of coastal flooding. You can also explore the equipment that the team used to document the glacier changes on another screen.

More to Do at MSI

One of MSI’s most popular field trip programs is now open to the public. Learning Labs are facilitated, dynamic experiences that provide guests the opportunity to discover science as they use real tools and techniques. Usually reserved for school groups, Learning Labs are capacity controlled and can now be added to any visit Wednesday-Sunday:

  • Crime Lab: Explore forensic science and learn how to analyze evidence like fingerprints. 
  • Engineering Design: Building Bridges: Become a civil engineer and use the engineering design cycle as you design, build and test bridges. 

Past Exhibit Reviews

Go to the next page to keep reading.

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