Travel from the tropical rainforests of South America to the fields of North America as you learn about conservation efforts on a local and global scale. Meet a variety of LIVE animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Investigate bird eggs, nests, and beaks, butterfly wing structures, animal tracks, and more.

Throughout Kaleideum North, you will see painted ceramic tiles in the floor of the Great Hall and along many walls. The tiles were created by children and adults in 1993 and 1994 and depict science, astronomy, art, footprints, and many other imaginative subjects. To see a gallery of photos of all of the tiles at Kaleideum North, CLICK HERE. Which one is your favorite?

Feel the incredible force of a hurricane in our Hurricane Simulator. You’ll be blown away!

(Note: The Hurricane Simulator is leased from a third party and requires a  fee. A portion of the fee supports Kaleideum!)

This exhibit is named after the French physicist Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (“Foo-koh”). Once the pendulum starts swinging back and forth, it will continue to swing in the same direction (plane of motion) unless it is pushed or pulled in another direction (Newton’s first law of motion). The Earth, however, is rotating underneath the pendulum. As a result, the pendulum appears to move clockwise, when, in reality, the compass, the pendulum support, the Kaleideum building, all of us in the building, and the Earth are rotating counterclockwise! Take a photo of the pendulum at the beginning of your visit, and then again at the end of your visit. Compare the two to see just how far the Earth moved.

Gain a better understanding of how our bodies work and how to maintain good health! Discover the cell, the basic unit of all living matter. Learn how DNA controls traits passed from generation to generation. Follow the systems of the body, including skeletal and muscular systems, circulation and respiration, the nervous system, and the digestive system. Measure your blood pressure, heart rate, visual acuity, and strength. Explore good dental hygiene with a giant walk-in mouth and discover the history of the dental chair. Learn about nutrition and healthy food choices. Young scientists can play the Body Game, see their “insides,” and listen to body sounds in Tot Spot, while older scientists can explore the human reproductive system and the various stages of embryological and fetal development.

Explore an abundance of natural science artifacts in the Science Lab, which includes many preserved specimens from past Museum collections. Examine feathers under a microscope, compare skulls of all sizes, and view beautiful rocks and minerals. Shells and coral from the Earth’s seas are found throughout the exhibit. Marvel at large animal mounts from around the world – including a polar bear, leopard, cheetah, lion, tiger, brown bear, cape buffalo, black rhinoceros, duiker, and bongo – and see a display of illegal wildlife products on permanent loan from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, which obtained the items during enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Treaty and the Endangered Species Act.

Explore the science of sound by experimenting with sound waves, vibrations, and some unusual musical instruments. Play the floor piano (with your feet!), pluck the wooden strings on the guitar wall, and strum the invisible harp. You’ll also enjoy making music with the echo tube, African drum, xylophone, wave machine, kitchen band, and pipes of pan.

Head outside to discover simple machines, sound, and energy on a large scale in the Science Park! Listen like a bat using giant bat ears and try out the whisper dishes and echo tube to better understand echolocation and sound waves. Explore simple machines that help us do work, check the time on a sundial, and view a rain garden. Younger guests can dig for fossils and ride a human pendulum.

Learn about Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion, as well as potential and kinetic energy, by releasing a penny down the Hyperbolic Funnel. Follow the penny’s elliptical path as it circles faster and faster, closing in on the gravity well at the bottom.

Discover principles of the physical world with hands-on experiments involving machines, light, motion, color, electricity, and much more! Experiment with simple machines including screws, levers, inclined planes, and pulleys. Discover examples of motion and dynamics with the Air Chair Lift, Bernoulli Disk, and Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope. Explore the interrelationship of electricity and magnetism with a circuit table, hand generator, and Jacob’s Ladder. Experience the world of light, color, and optics with Captured Shadows, the Laser Light Challenge, and the Walk-in Kaleidoscope. Get a perspective about perception by shaking hands with yourself or performing other experiments with the Depth Spinner, Anti-gravity Mirror, and other optical illusions.

Begin with the building blocks (atoms) of nature: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Sulfur (S). Combine them into simple molecules such as water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ammonia (NH3), or create more complex sugar molecules such as glucose/simple sugar (C6H12O6) or the carbonic acid found in soft drinks (H2CO3). Follow the continuing cycle within our bodies as food molecules are broken down and recombined into new molecules providing us with the energy we need to live.

Young scientists (ages 4 and under) will discover many interesting activities including puzzles, puppets, blocks, and books in KidsWorks.

Imaginative play and discovery are encouraged by the country barn, grocery store, light table, puppet stage, and much more!