The Discovery Center is a children's science museum in Rockford. Because of the pandemic, the museum has been closed to the public for several weeks, but that hasn't stopped staffers from showing kids how to have a good time while learning.
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Since March, the Discovery Center scientists have been creating and providing online STEAM-based learning content for young scientists and their families. Marketing Director Ann Marie Walker says the digital demonstrations are free and fun.
"We've got a lot of neat art activities, you know, painting with shaving cream -- things that parents might not think about -- but are just really easy to do at home," she said. "It's always fun to watch the demonstrations that we do with liquid nitrogen because, you know, who doesn't like to blow things up or freeze things or light things on fire? And our staff seems to specialize in that in a safe manner."
To learn more about the playful learning opportunities Discovery Center offers, click here. To learn more about what the museum offers, click here.
Besides the online opportunities, the museum, in a partnership with Collins Aersopace Systems, is in its fifth week of providing "STEM at Home" activity kits to a variety of neighborhoods in Rockford. Walker said the Discovery Center hopes to soon offer curbside pick-up for premium scientific activity kits. The museum hopes to be able to safely open for onsite camps in July, but because of the pandemic, that will depend on future decisions made at the city, state, and community levels.