The great outdoors and science
Families are invited to go on ‘Backyard Adventures’ at Academy of Natural Sciences
There’s more going on in your back yard than you ever imagined.
Just as the school year winds down, the Academy of Natural Sciences prepares families for extended outdoor playtime season with “Backyard Adventures,” offering outdoor play indoors, and an intimate look at the forces of nature, such as the interactions between insects and plants.
Oh yeah? How’s that?
The new exhibition — designed and produced by Scitech of Perth, Australia and produced by Imagine Exhibitions— has hands-on games, activities and interactive play stations that invite you to take a whirlona beebike; collect nectar; copy critter calls; find out how bees and dogs see the world; dress up as a spider, a ladybug or a bee; stroll through a digital garden to witness plants growing in “super time;” complete a garden path using oddly-shaped pavers and solve simple physics challenges by playing mini-golf.
This is in Philly?
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia.
Is it open?
“Backyard Adventures” runs June 9- Sept. 10. Opening weekend June 10-11 there will be special live animal shows, educational activities, crafts (like making a bird feeder out of a bottle) and specimen displays from the academy’s world-renowned research collection of plants and animals.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fri- days, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Howmuch should I budget to get the family in?
Backyard Adventures is $5 for nonmembers in addition to the general admission cost,$3 for individual and familymembers. Family plus members and above see it free. Online discounts are available at www. ansp.org. General weekday admission is $17.95; $14.95 for seniors65+, students and military; $13.95for children 3-12;
What else?
In July and August the Academy’s Dino-Mite Summer programming offers something different every day, with the backyard adventure theme. Meet live backyard dinosaurs — aka birds, laugh at Marty the Moose’s backyard jokes, examine favorite backyard bugs up close and use Lego bricks to build dinosaurs and bugs, and more. For more information, call (215) 299-1000.