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Pacific Science Center - A Fun Place for Families to Learn

© Jerri Brooker

"One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done..." Marie Curie, in a letter to her brother May 18, 1894

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[ACF8B6.thm]The Seattle Worlds Fair in 1962 was the catalyst for the Pacific Science Center at the Seattle Center grounds. Through time it has grown and proven itself an essential part of the Seattle scientific community landscape.

It's not a dull, inescapable place of boredom some kids would imagine, but a living, growing opportunity for hands-on experiences in today's world of science. Where else can you see robotic insects or freeze your shadow on a wall? Throughout my kids' growing-up years we enjoyed visits to the Seattle Center to see changing or new exhibits. As time goes on the Center gets bigger and better and a new visit would be a treat.

Titanic Exhibit

This six-acre jewel is running the Titanic Artifact Exhibit through October 14, 2001 (it has been extended from the date on the website). See a recreation of the Grand Staircase or a first-class cabin. Touch a wall of ice or see a 15-ton piece of the Titanic's hull, the largest artifact ever found. Right now I'm not real keen on seeing the remains of a sad story where real people lost their lives, but it is an educational exhibit to help you understand what happened.

Permanent Exhibits

Permanent exhibits include:

[ACF8B7.thm]Dinosaurs: A Journey through Time,
The Indoor Tropical Butterfly House,
Insect Village (with interactive exhibits),
Puget Sound Model and Saltwater Tide Pool,
Kids Works (weather, steam table, interactive exhibits),
Animal Exhibits (like the North African Naked Mole-Rats),
The Body Works (find out about your body),
The Tech Zone (robots, full-body virtual reality soccer, etc.) and
Outdoor Exhibits.

Outside you may move a two-ton granite ball with your hands or ride a high rail bike on a one-inch-wide rail 15 feet above the ground.

Online Exhibits

If you can't go in person there are lots of online exhibits for your enjoyment:

The Nutrition Cafe,
Aliens - Worlds of Possibilities,
King-5 Television First Alert Weather,
Raptornet,
Mostly Music (the art and science of music),
Internet Maze,
Webwings and
DinoWeb.

More

There's also a Planetarium and IMAX 3-D theatre. You may see movies, stars or evening laser rock shows.

Amazing educational opportunities await, such as camp-ins for groups like 4-H and boy and girl scouts where kids actually camp overnight and learn and play at the same time. This is a great site for you, teachers. Set up a visit with your students.

[ACF8B9.thm]This big kid loves to spend time there and I've not been in a while, so you may see me there if you trek on down to the Seattle Center. It's not just for kids, but the young-at-heart and the eager-to-learn.

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