Exhibit: Tech City

‘Dam the Creek!’ and Learn About Technology

Does your child want to be an engineer? Do your children enjoy solving problems? Then they will enjoy the hands-on, real-world challenges of Tech City, just like my son Matthew, 12, and his friend Jared, 11, did.
Kids can take part in eight interactive stations. We started out learning how to “clean” the water with the hydraulic system at the “Separation Station.” Next, learning about cost and architecture allowed them to design a plaza with materials at various prices. We kept changing our tile pattern to see which would be most economical. At the earthquake exhibit, we used blocks and sticks to make buildings that would withstand an earthquake – we didn’t do so well on that one, but it was fun. Using computers to help traffic flow and timing of traffic lights was engaging and a real life issue we deal with every day.
On weekends and holidays, an educator conducts little projects on various topics. On the day we visited, the kids were responsible for building a bridge that could hold a weighted pot without it dropping. My son used uncooked spaghetti noodles and his friend used rolled up paper.
Matthew and Jared’s favorite station within the exhibit was “Dam the Creek!” The goal is to prevent the creek from flooding by building a dam with metal blocks. They had to start over several times to seal all the various leaks (and had fun getting their arms wet) but solved the problem as best they could.
Watching the kids have fun while using their brains and challenging themselves, made for a great day!
– Michele Gergans