February 2010 Discover.e
ANIMATION featuring Cartoon Network
NOW OPEN!
Greetings Imagination Station members!
There’s a lot going on here at Imagination Station! Our Traveling Gallery has been transformed into our newest arrival – Animation featuring Cartoon Network! Over 800 Imagination Station members enjoyed access to this exciting new exhibit at an exclusive Members-Only Preview on January 29, before the exhibition was opened to the general public on January 30. Cartoon Network’s Ben 10, Scooby Doo and Gizmo – Imagination Station’s favorite ‘Lab’rador- were here enjoying the exhibition right alongside the rest of the crowd!
This body-on exhibit, 'Planning the Action', shoots 14 consecutive photos to create an animation.
If you haven’t yet, come explore how art, math, science and technology come together in the exciting world of Animation. Experiment with animation from concept to finished product – from storyboarding, character design and drawing techniques to movement, timing, filming and sound. Larger-than-life graphics of popular Cartoon Network characters provide a colorful backdrop to the exhibit.
EXCLUSIVE Member Discount
$4.00 off per ticket to Disney on Ice Finding Nemo at the Lucas County Arena – February 3 – 7, 2010.
Imagination Station members can purchase discounted tickets by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or by going to www.ticketmaster.com and using the promotional code, “Station” when prompted. It is our hope that your Imagination Station membership is as valuable to you as you are to Imagination Station!
You’ve asked … and we’ve listened!
In response to Imagination Station member requests, we’ve now secured new options for parking! Free parking is still available in the REU PARK parking lot on Superior Street for members at, or above the Family Plus membership level. Coupons for Free parking will be distributed at the Visitors Services desk when you visit. Parking discounts are now available from KWIKPARK, with lots throughout the downtown area, including one just ½ block from Imagination Station below the Edison building located on Summit and Madison. Just present your membership card to the attendant when you pull in to the KWIKPARK entrance off of Summit St. Valet parking will now be available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the entrance of Imagination Station through TOP HAT Valet service, a division of KWIKPARK, for $7.00.
The value of a membership at Imagination Station goes far beyond unlimited admission. Your membership helps support a variety of educational and community outreach programs that align with our mission of inspiring in children the wonder of science and technology.
Imagination Station has been experiencing phenomenal attendance and amazing support from the community. Aside from new exhibitions and exclusive previews, a lot has changed! As a member, you are the first to hear about all that the new science center has to offer!
- Animation featuring Cartoon Network, January 30 – May 2, 2010!
- ENERGY FACTORY – a entire new Learning World – opening this spring!
- Shows and activities updated weekly in our Science Studio!
- And don’t forget about Imagination Station as you’re planning your Spring Break STAYcations!
Scientifically yours,
John F. Hopkins
Membership Manager
Experimenting at Home – Thaumatrope
The thaumatrope is a relatively simple activity that relates directly to our Animation exhibit.
Materials:
- 2 pieces of card stock or note cards
- Markers or crayons
- Straw or coffee stirrer
- Stapler
Procedure:
- Draw one picture on one card, and a second on another card. Make a pair of pictures that go together (a fish on one and a fish bowl on the other, or a bird on one and a bird cage on the other).
- Place the straw between the cards with the drawings outward.
- Staple the straw in place in two spots.
- Hold the straw of the Thaumatrope in the palm of your hands.
- Begin to rub your palms together as fast as you can, making the thaumatrope flip back and forth.
- Look again at the two pictures. What do you observe?
The Science:
Scientists in the 19th Century believed that the human eye held onto flashing images slightly longer than they were visible and blended them into a moving image. They used this “persistence of vision” theory to explain how animation worked. However, in the early 20th Century, scientists discovered that, while our eyes may sometimes hold onto images, this does not create a motion effect. Although you may still see it mentioned in the popular press, science no longer supports the idea of persistence of vision.
All animation works because of an illusion called apparent motion. The effect is created when a series of still images flashes quickly in front of your eyes, with a break in between each image. Your brain blends the still images together, creating an illusion of motion called apparent motion.
February Happenings:
Black History Month
February 9th -12th
Celebrate Black History Month in the Science Studio! Learn about Benjamin Banneker, noted mathematician and astronomer, and Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space. Then, create you own map of the stars!
Olympics
February 13th and 14th
Win a science gold medal as we celebrate the Olympics! By traveling through our science challenge stations, your child will discover the champion inside. Best of all, they will get to design their own victory medal.
National Engineering Week
February 16th – 21st
Build big and test your design skills in Science Studio all week long. Invited guest experts will offer their engineering expertise, as visitors will explore compression, tension and torsion to create sky-high structures.
Creative Workshop with Children’s Illustrator, Cyd Moore
February 21st, 1-2:00pm in Science Studio
Children's Book Illustrator, Cyd Moore
Children’s illustrator, Cyd Moore, delights kids with spontaneous drawings of wild creatures! Cyd illustrated I Love You Stinky Face,Granny’s Dragon and Willow, to name just a few. As a natural storyteller, her hilarious southern adventures have the audience laughing and LISTENING. After experiencing a day with Cyd, everyone is inspired to live their lives with a bit more passion! Copies of I Love You Stinky Face and Alice and Greta will be available for purchase in Science 2 Go!
Attention Parents
Imagination Station has the program for you! Each day at 11:00 am in KIDSPACE Little Science Studio, trained Imagination Station offer Science Story Time. It is a great opportunity for your tots to explore the connection between literature and science with a fun story and an exciting activity to complement what was read
February 2-7: Dinosaurs
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones by Byron Barton
Create a ‘shoe’seratops and share a story about your dinosaur.
February 9-14: Valentine’s Celebration
Love, Splat by Rob Scotton
Children make their own handprint flowers to share.
February 16-21: Musical Instruments
Zimani’s Drum by Melinda Lilly
Play a tambourine of your own creation.
February 23-28: Wind Watchers
Close Your Eyes by Kate Banks
Make a wind bag and explore the powerful force of the wind.
March 2-7: Let It Snow
Why Won’t Winter Go? by Lissa McLaughlin
Experiment with Insta-Snow, and compare it to the real stuff.
