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Exhibits Case Studies
Brooklyn Children's Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11213
718.735.4400 (p)
Sharon Klotz, Director of Exhibitions (contact)
sklotz@brooklynkids.org (e)
- ASTC Article, "A Children's Museum Goes Green" (pdf)
- Growing Up Green, (pdf) Sharon Klotz (Brooklyn Children’s Museum), Hand to Hand, volume 20, Spring 2006
Energy Adventure
Project Size: approx 8,000 SF
Project Budget: approx $1M
Exhibit/Project Description:
Energy Adventure, a new 4,000 sq. ft. inquiry based exhibition about energy and design, is slated to open as part of BCM’s new expansion and renovation in 2007/2008. In this outdoor exhibition, children and families will explore and play with natural energy sources such as solar power, wind, and gravity. Using large-scale, open-ended interactives, visitors will make choices about materials and design solutions, thus emulating — in fun and developmentally appropriate ways — the choicemaking and exploration inherent in architecture and engineering. BCM’s prototyping has demonstrated that visitors of all ages understand and are excited about activities like designing a house structure and using solar energy to control a set of fountains. In BCM’s LEED certification process, the museum is on track to gain an extra point in the “innovation” category for the Energy Adventure project.
Activities include:
Energy in Action—full body inquiry area that related to energy from the sun, wind, gravity, and visitors themselves
Build-A-House----model house and materials for collaborative building play
Energy Changes---kinetic interactive based on visitors choices
Losing Energy—oversize interactive pendulum
Solar Fountain----controllable PV cell linked to triple water fountain
Energy Future Forum—scenario game based on energy-related news andtrends
Energy Modeling----problem solving, open-ended interactive computer
Distinguishing green features:
This exhibition focuses on sustainable design and choices visitors can make to understand and support sustainable design. This project is supporting the "Innovation" points we expect to be awarded as part of the LEED certification process. BCM will be awarded points for interpreting sustainability for children and families through exhibits and programs that focus on physical science inquiry and design innovation.
