by Moshe Gilad
The children want to play, the parents feel that a visit to the science museum is a conscientious investment. Six options for an educational family outing abroad
Leonardo da Vinci Science Museum, Milan. Unnecessary headache
Photographs: Moshe Gilad
A wild hurricane threatened to devastate Florida's eastern shores. The dramatic data about the weather flowed at a dizzying pace and drew confusing arrows on the computer screen. A metallic voice demanded that I immediately decide where to send the rescue forces. Of course, there were not enough soldiers to handle all the tasks. Determining the order of priorities was assigned to me, an innocent and confused visitor who happened to be in front of one of the computers at the "Sony Wonder" center in the heart of Manhattan. Misjudgment in interpreting the data and results of the fictional hurricane could be fatal. I was sweating helplessly.
An eight-year-old boy standing next to me looked at me with a look full of pity and agreed to take care of the problem in my place. Two minutes later he had already distributed the forces, placed reserves, evacuated residents and handled the hurricane with an experienced hand. The crisis has passed. When I wondered where the security came from, he replied: "I have visited here many times already." I'm coming with grandma." He pointed to an elderly woman sitting patiently waiting for him on one of the pink plastic chairs.
Science is child's play. This is the impression that a visitor to any of the science museums might get. These museums are booming mainly because in recent years they have realized that science and technology attract families. Children want to play, for the parents it is an educational pastime of its own, accompanied by a clear conscience and a good feeling that comes from the consideration that "we have invested in the children's future and their scientific tendencies".
Some of these science museums are now major tourist attractions in the cities they are located in. Most museums state that they appeal to an audience whose age ranges from 4 to 16, although such an age group is obviously not possible. 16 year olds get very offended when they are dragged to sites where 4 year olds go wild. Practically speaking, most visitors come to museums with children whose ages range from 3 ("but they are very talented", as their parents will testify) to 12 years old.
There are six options offered here abroad, and of course there are also local options, both of which are fun and appeal to a young audience - the Bloomfield Science Museum in Givat Ram in Jerusalem and the National Science Museum in the Technion's historic building in Haifa (25 Shmariahu Levin St.).
Nemo Museum, Amsterdam
"Nemo is not a museum" declare the managers of the Dutch Science Museum in every publication they publish. Their intention is that, unlike other institutions, here it is allowed and desirable to touch all the exhibits, to try, to operate and above all to learn through experience. The museum, which is aimed at ages 4 and up, is usually very crowded and a great success. There are departments of natural sciences, materials, chemical processes, the human body, technology and the like. The building itself is green, beautiful and very prominent on the waterfront. It was built by the Italian architect Renzo Piano (who is also responsible for the design of the Center Pompidou in Paris).
The name of the museum is a tribute to the hero of Jules Verne's book, "20 thousand miles under water". It is very worthwhile to go up to the top floor: there is a great observation deck over large parts of Amsterdam, the harbor and some of the canals in the area east of the train station. A good cafe also operates on this floor, allowing parents who do not believe in too close supervision to wait for their children comfortably.
The museum is closed on Mondays. Opening hours:
from 10:00 to 17:00. The price of entry for ages 4 and up is 11 euros.
http://www.e-NEMO.nl
Aeolus Museum, Saxbiorum, Netherlands
A very charming little place. Only 1,800 residents live in the village of Saksbyrum and the museum is the pride of the place. It is not easy to get here, it is a rather remote area, but those who travel with children in the Friesland region in the North of the Netherlands, would do very wisely if they try to visit this unknown place as well. We reached out to him because he remembered the book "Abroad with Children" by Ruthi Loyav. The limited information written there sounds intriguing.
This is a fairly new place, with an impressive glass pyramid, called "Aeolus" after the mythological god of the winds.
The concept of the place is very Dutch: all the facilities, machines and devices in it - and there are more than 50, some of them spectacular and very entertaining - are powered by the wind. In a country where thousands of windmills still provide energy to entire villages, this is a necessary idea. The result is a combination between a scientific museum, which explores and demonstrates the cheapest and most available resource, and an amusement park where you can spend a few delightful hours.
The Leonardo Science Museum
Da Vinci, Milan
This is a clear example of museums from the old generation. The managers of the place have not yet adopted the idea that they are actually running a children's museum. The beautiful building, which alone is worth coming for, is actually a monastery from the 16th century. Part of it was destroyed in the bombings of World War II, but has been impressively renovated.
The place radiates seriousness. The connection with Leonardo da Vinci and the Italian national pride do not yet allow the light-heartedness of the others. The display accordingly - the history of Leonardo's inventions in wooden models, huge halls and ancient globes. In another wing, huge train locomotives, ships and airplanes hang from the ceiling. It's big, heavy and not friendly to a 5-year-old boy. The school kids who wandered there looked like prisoners serving their sentence, not campers who came to hang out.
Closed on Mondays. Open from 9:30 to 17:00 or until 18:30 on weekends. Entrance costs 7 euros for an adult and 5 euros for a child under 18.
http://www.museoscienza.org
La Villette Science Museum, Paris
It is impossible to talk about the lack of pretentiousness or about modesty and intimacy in this huge site. It used to be a rural neighborhood in the suburbs of Paris. Today it is home to one of the largest and most impressive science museums in the world. The orientation towards a young audience dominates and is emphasized here in almost all the displays. The regular topics are exact sciences, environmental issues, society and science and a special children's wing, which actually now also controls the other parts of the museum. "Le Gaude", a screening hall with a huge screen with an area of 1,000 square meters, opened to the public exactly 20 years ago. The entire structure, in a huge silver ball, is very impressive. The films are no less impressive. Among other things, amazing XNUMXD movies are shown on the site, which are watched with special glasses.
The changing exhibitions that are on display now: until the beginning of July - the weather changes; Until mid-June - Amazon and the cell phones of the future; Until September - the world of Franquin, the Belgian comic artist.
The museum is open all week except Mondays. Opening hours: 10:00-18:00. Entrance: 7.50 euros for an adult, 5.50 for a child. Children under 7, free.
http://www.cite-sciences.fr
London Science Museum
This week a promising exhibition called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" opened at the London Science Museum. The exhibition reveals, according to the curators, "the scientific facts behind Douglas Adams' book and presents sets, props and costumes from the film". Adams, it is easy to assume, is grinning in his grave and appreciating the humor of the Science Museum people.
The very preparation of such an exhibition - which of course gives the answers to the meaning of life, the universe and everything else - indicates the enormous effort to make the field popular and relevant. So is its opening at the Science Museum at the same time as the film's release. If it means making friends with a fictional travel book whose absurd humor keeps a huge safety distance from any serious scientific subject, the museum staff has no problem with that either.
Other activities taking place now: screenings of James Cameron's film, "Invaders of the Deep", on a huge screen, and a very serious exhibition that deals with human cloning.
You should try and have lunch at the museum restaurant, "Deep Blue Cafe", which won awards as the best children's restaurant in London. Entrance to the museum is free, seven days a week, from 10:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m.
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Sonny Wonder, New York
The place belongs to a completely commercial company, but under its auspices a science and technology museum was established here that allows visitors, especially enthusiastic children, to experiment with technological innovations, which also explain some uncomplicated scientific principles. The visitors get explanations and experience in digital photography, in photography and television editing, in editing sounds and voices, in forecasting the weather and the like. A fluid conversation with a menacing robot is accepted here almost as a matter of course.
Visiting the museum is free and requires registration only. The place is closed on Mondays and open from 10:00 to 18:00. Game lovers will be happy to discover that in the shops on the lower floor you can play PlayStation 2 without a time limit and free of charge, as long as the line is not too long or nervous.
