“With deep Wisconsin roots dating back more than half a century, Amcor is proud to fuel science enthusiasm and nurture tomorrow’s local workforce through our support of this interactive exhibit.”
Observing phenomena, doing research, asking questions, conducting experiments, analyzing results and sharing findings. These are things scientists do every day. Building for Kids Children’s Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin, teamed up with Amcor, the exhibit’s sponsor, to craft an exhibit that would allow children to develop these skills. The result is “The Lab,” the museum’s newest exhibit, which opened this weekend.
“When we were brainstorming together on what this space would be, we wanted to create an exhibit where future generations of scientists and engineers could explore their curiosity about the world around them through the scientific method,” said Casie Holdcroft, Building for Kids’ director of communications and design.
The kid-friendly, colorful laboratory space does this by using a simplified version of the scientific method: ask, think, learn and share. Each step has its own station, Holdcroft explained. When they first enter the lab, children will learn what the day’s question is. They will then build a hypothesis at the “Think” station, test their hypothesis with the help of Building for Kids educators at the “Learn” station, and finally, discuss their findings at the “Share” station.
The experiments will be tied to a specific theme that will change on a routine basis. First up is food spoilage.
Holdcroft explained that Amcor, which develops and produces packaging for a wide swath of needs, was a natural partner for the project. Each day, their engineers work through the scientific method, and Amcor, with its Wisconsin ties, is a big supporter of Building for Kids, she said. The co-headquarters of Amcor’s Flexibles North America division is just a half-hour away in Oshkosh.
“With deep Wisconsin roots dating back more than half a century, Amcor is proud to fuel science enthusiasm and nurture tomorrow’s local workforce through our support of this interactive exhibit,” said Ethan Haas, chair of Amcor Cares, the company’s charitable giving organization. A grant from Amcor Cares made The Lab possible.
The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. The Lab will be open during these hours, too. To learn more about its exhibits, visit buildingforkids.org.
To learn more about Amcor and its Wisconsin locations, visit amcor.com.
Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.