Exhibits

Yokut Planter Box Exhibit - NEW ADDITION
Our Yokut Planter Box Exhibit on the west side of the building has been filled with native plants!

Plug It In/Six Ways to Make Electricity 
Children and adults alike will enjoy these new exhibits.  Use our hand crank generator to power lights, a fan or even a radio.  Learn about six different ways to make electricity as you read and try different methods.  Finally, check our your ‘energy knowledge’ by answering an interactive quiz!

Train Exhibit
Children can control model trains as they travel through the Central Valley, around meticulously created orange groves, oak trees, hills, churches, farms, townspeople, and streets paved with cars.   Can you find the hidden animals painted in the mural on the side of this exhibit?

Bernoulli Blower 
This recently acquired exhibit will ‘blow’ your mind!  Push the blower button and watch as a beach ball hovers in mid air.  Learn about the air flow patterns supporting the ball and see Bernoulli’s Principle in action.

ImagineU Medical Center
Learn about the human body as you role play the many tasks that take place in a doctor's office. Weigh yourself, measure your height, gather your patient's medical history, set a broken leg and push a friend around in a wheel chair!  You can even take a close look at real x-rays.

ImagineU Dental Center
How many teeth do you have? How should you properly take care of them? Learn what to expect while visiting a dentist and role play in our own dentist office.  Dress up in a dentist’s coat and practice good brushing habits on a dragon!

Toddletown
The Toddler Play Area, Infant Crawl Space, Train Table, Imagination Station and Read to Me Nook are perfect places to learn, play, create and move for the five and under crowd.  We’ve recently added new equipment, blocks and a rocking boat.  Come on down to Toddletown!

Observation station/ Rocks and Minerals
Become a scientist! Observe, compare, measure and weigh a variety of items using microscopes, hand lenses, rulers and balances.  ImagineU has a wonderful collection of shells, corrals, fossils, bones and other objects found in the natural world.  Use the scientific skills and tools of a geologist to observe, compare, and analyze a variety of rocks and minerals in our collection. 

Diggin’ It
Become a paleontologist or archaeologist as you dig for bones and fossils in our excavation boxes.  Use shovels to find buried items and then use brushes to gently remove all sand from your discoveries.  Treasures come in all shapes and sizes!

Kaleidocorner/KaleidoDraw
Check out our new kaleidoscope!  The creations reflected as you peer inside and turn the object chamber are ever changing and beautiful! KaleidoDraw is a fun computer program that introduces symmetry patterns. Click on a variety of colors, designs and items from the natural world to create unique and beautiful rosette patterns. These are the kind you see in snowflakes, flowers, starfish, rose windows, plates, hubcaps and even faces!

Multilingual Market
Children can learn English, Spanish and French as they shop and make healthy food choices.  Coming soon……German!  Ask museum staff about language lab classes that will allow children to work with native speakers and play while acquiring or improving another language.  Shopping carts, reusable grocery bags and a working cash register allow kids a full shopping experience in any language!

Imagination Theater
Calling all actors, puppeteers and performers…..The Imagination Theater is the perfect place for kids to dress-up, perform their own drama productions, or present a puppet show.   Choose from dozens of costumes, props and puppets!

Let's Make Music!
A variety of musical instruments are available for fun and musical exploration.   Create a family band and rock out on the Imagination Theater stage!

Gravity Well
Watch your coins accelerate and decelerate as it circles around the Gravity Well. Count how many times your coin makes it around before dropping in the center hole of this hyperbolic funnel. The gravity well is a model of Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion.

Energy Efficiency Mural
What can you find in this lovely mural?  The 8 x 30 foot wall was produced by a local artist, Beth Greer, and several small assistants.

1954 Fire Truck
Check out our real fire truck!  You can explore or practice being a fire fighting hero.