FORT WORTH, Texas – Balance isn’t just an act. From teetering toddlers to tightrope walkers, balance is something we all use in our everyday lives. Children and their families can expand their understanding of balance – and learn how to practice and improve it – in Balancing Act, a new children’s exhibit that opened in conjunction with the new Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gendy Street) Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 and runs through Sunday, May 9, 2010.
The interactive exhibit, designed and developed by the Museum of Science and History, focuses on the physical nature of balance and the body systems that work together to achieve that balance. Through a variety of challenge activities, such as balance beams, bridges and boogie boards, you can get into the act and test your sense of balance in a fun, playful environment.
Guiding you through Balancing Act is “Level,” a sculptural balancing buddy made from cubes and boxes. This level-headed character demonstrates how prevalent balance is in our everyday lives and how the body and brain work together to help us maintain that balance.
You first enter the exhibit through the “Turvey Tunnel,” a rotating drum reminiscent of a carnival fun house. Walk through first with your eyes open. Feel dizzy? Its spinning imagery demonstrates how visual perception can influence our sense of balance. Other components, such as the “Balance Beam,” “Stepping Stones” and “Wavy Beam,” challenge you to adjust your body and control your center of gravity as you navigate the various obstacle courses. Reproductions of antique toys from the Museum’s collection in the “Balancing Toys” station further demonstrate how balance is present in throughout our daily lives.
What happens when motion is added to the mix? Try to keep your balance while walking across tilting parallel slats in “Balance Bridge.” Then test your skills on a skateboard-sized teeter totter in the “Balance Board Challenge. You’ll learn how our body systems work together to enable skateboarders, surfers and others to maintain and master balance.
Demonstrating balance-related concepts is just one goal of the 1,200-square-foot exhibit, according to Kit Goolsby, Vice President of Education at the Museum of Science and History. Balancing Act also aims to reinforce the idea that balance can be practiced and improved. Can you balance a basket on your head, or carry two large buckets on your shoulders? You can if you know how to “Strike the Right Balance.” Find out how long you can stay balanced on the swiveling and shifting “Balance Timer.” Try it more than once and see if you can improve your time with practice. Experiment with weights and balance through “Big-Scale” and “Small-Scale Balance” activities. Then take some tops for a spin in “Spinning Tops” and discover the secrets behind twirling ballerinas and rotating ice skaters.
“For most of us, balance is something that happens almost subconsciously,” Goolsby said. “We sit, walk, run and play without thinking about it. Through this exhibit, we hope children and adults alike will gain greater confidence in their ability to improve their own balance.”
Balancing Act was created by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History for the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC), a consortium of eight leading youth museums. After its debut in Fort Worth, the exhibition will travel to the other YMEC museums in North America: Boston, Houston, Quebec, Memphis, St. Paul, and San Jose. The exhibit is presented in English and Spanish.
Little Gym of Fort Worth Southwest is the presenting sponsor of the exhibition at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. “The educational message of Balancing Act is directly in line with what Little Gym is all about – giving children their best foundation for success by building motor skills in a fun and nurturing environment,” said Brette Corder, owner of Little Gym.
Balancing Act will be featured in the Museum of Science and History’s new Fort Worth Children’s Museum gallery. Admission to Balancing Act is included with regular exhibits admission: $14 for adults; $10 for children (3-12) and seniors (60+). Museum members are free.
About The Museum
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Days. For more information about the Museum visit www.fortworthmuseum.org or call 817-255-9300.
In 1939, the Fort Worth Council of Administrative Women in Education presented a successful proposal to the City Council for the creation of a children's museum in Fort Worth. Chartered with the State of Texas in 1941 as the “Fort Worth Children’s Museum,” the new $80 million FWMSH campus marks the culmination of an extensive multi-year fund-raising campaign following a comprehensive planning effort. Dedicated to life-long learning and anchored by its rich collections, the Museum engages school children and adult visitors through creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the history of Texas and the Southwest. For more than six decades, the FWMSH has provided learning opportunities for tens of thousands of area children annually among its million visitors each year, making it one of the most popular cultural attractions in North Texas.
The new Museum building, created by internationally acclaimed architects Legorreta + Legorreta with Gideon Toal, is located in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The world-class, 166,000 square-foot facility features a collection of new, interactive exhibits and programs developed by the Museum’s staff and a team of nationally recognized designers in support of the Museum’s dedication to informal, discovery-based learning for all.
The new Museum’s environment of learning comprises state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions and components including: Energy Blast; the Fort Worth Children’s Museum; the Cattle Raisers Museum; the Noble Planetarium; DinoLabs/DinoDig® – featuring the State Dinosaur of Texas, Paluxysaurus jonesi; Innovation Studios/Innovation Gallery; and the 60-year-old Museum School.
About Little Gym
The Little Gym of Fort Worth Southwest, a franchise of The Little Gym International, is owned and operated by Brian and Brette Corder. For more information, visit the Web site at: www.thelittlegym.com/fortworthsouthwesttx