SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology
“Our beetles clean the bones,” a tour guide announced, pointing to a small terrarium, as my daughter and I entered SKELETONS: Museum of Osteology. I had to stash away his words about the beetles to ponder later because above us hung a gigantic humpback whale skeleton, spanning nearly the entire length of the museum. And that’s just one of almost 500 skeletons to see in this space! “Cheetah! Giraffe! Penguin!” my daughter yelled, pointing to skeletons with glee. Upstairs, a video plays on loop, including a clip from Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” where Mike Rowe helps clean the massive humpback whale bones. Watching the clip while gazing over the whale skeleton, I remembered the tour guide’s words. My daughter and I returned to the little terrarium and gained a whole new appreciation for the flesh-eating Dermestid beetles. We decided together – we’ll let them keep their job! SKELETONS is located in south Oklahoma City. Learn more at skeletonmuseum.com.
YOUNG SCIENTISTS CAN SEE NEARLY 500 SKELETONS AT SKELETONS: MUSEUM OF OSTEOLOGY.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Check out even more close-to-home suggestions for family STEM experiences, organized by genre.
SCIENCE Myriad Gardens, OKC
ENGINEERING Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, OKC How do engineers design buildings to keep them from collapsing? That’s what kids learn at the OKCNM STEM Lab. Participants use giant touch screen tables to test building materials against threats like natural disasters and blast waves from explosions to determine how to create buildings that withstand those threats. Best suited for middle schoolers (though appropriate for ages 4th grade through adults), STEM Lab access is available with group tickets and field trips. The museum also hosts regular family STEM nights. Find out more at memorialmuseum.com.
Step inside the Inasmuch Crystal Bridge Conservatory and you immediately feel the heat and humidity rise. That’s because you’re stepping into a new climate ecosystem where tropical rainforest plants thrive. Cross the suspended cylinder, and you’ll arrived in a desert ecosystem, a haven for cacti and succulents. With around 900 plant varieties and a new Mango Room featuring experiments, STEM activities and microscopic investigations, a trip to the Myriad Gardens is a must for all budding botanists. Check out their fall activity schedule at myriadgardens.org. TECHNOLOGY National Weather Center, Norman Suitable for all ages and free to the public, National Weather Center public tours highlight nationwide meteorological advances, including state-of-the-art technology. Between weather balloons, mobile mesonet trucks, radar trucks, new weather drones (called “coptersondes”) and a demo mesonet tower in the parking lot, the National Weather Center leads the way for the nation in weather research and tech. Find the tour schedule at ou.edu/nwc/visit .
MATHEMATICS Science Museum Oklahoma, OKC
You thought we could write a STEM article and NOT include Science Museum Oklahoma? Never! SMO is a fun experience for every member of the family. For your mathematics enthusiast, check out the PiShop in CurioCity and the rotating sculpture “Finity,” consisting of the five polyhedra, in front of the entrance. The Planetarium at SMO is set to reopen with a state-of-the-art optical mechanical starball projector in September. Learn more at sciencemuseumok.org.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2024 15
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