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Pole-to-Pole: Earth's Dynamic Extremes
On exhibit July 6, 2009 -
December, 2009
Discover the frozen stretches of our planet that act as the Earth’s
thermostat. Pole-to-Pole will guide visitors on a unique multi-media
tour of Earth’s cryosphere…its frigid zone defined by polar ice caps.
Experience the ebb and flow, freezing, thawing, and re-freezing of our
planet’s dynamic polar regions captured by NASA satellite technology.
Featuring NASA’s Earth Observing System and MODIS imagery, this exhibit
will showcase the ever-changing landscapes of our planet’s polar
extremes.
In vivid, dazzling,
high-resolution imagery, witness firsthand what every polar explorer has
come to know: the undeniable flux of Earth’s cryosphere from year
to ever changing year. Explore the unique flora and fauna that inhabit
these harsh regions through natural history collections and geological
specimens will complement the NASA graphics and
multimedia component. So bundle up, don your snow goggles, and prepare
for an eye opening tour in the extreme that is (almost, but not
quite) out of this world!!! Exhibit supported by NASA RI Space
Grant Consortium and
Brown/NASA Northeast Regional Planetary Data
Center.
Life of Stars: From
Nebula to Supernova
On exhibit January 30, 2010 - August 2010.
Discover stars, the powerhouses of the universe! This new astronomy
exhibit tracks the evolution of stars, from their birth in giant clouds
of cold gas to their explosive end in supernovae and planetary nebulae.
Visitors will find out the surprising answers to questions such as:
Where does the iron in our blood come from?, What's it like near a Black
Hole?, and How long will the Sun keep shining?. Hands-on activities
allow visitors to explore the tools that astronomers use to study the
life cycle of stars, including telescopes and spectroscopes. Exciting
imagery from the new and improved Hubble Space Telescope, including
colorful multi-wavelength pictures of far-flung galaxies and nebulae
will be featured. With its new imaging camera, Hubble can view galaxies,
star clusters, and other objects across a wide range of the
electromagnetic spectrum, from ultraviolet to near-infrared light.
Developed in collaboration with Ian Dell'Antonio and Paul Huwe from
Brown University. Exhibit supported by NASA RI Space
Grant Consortium and
Brown/NASA Northeast Regional Planetary Data
Center.
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The Museum was the winner of
Nickelodeon's 2008 Parents' Pick Best Museum in two categories,
Best Museum for Big Kids and
Best Museum for Teens.
The Museum was named "Editor's Choice" in
the 2004 edition of the Yankee
Magazine Travel Guide to New England.
The Planetarium has received Editor's Choice
in the Providence Phoenix Best of RI.
The Museum of Natural History and Planetarium received Reader's Choice for
Best Underappreciated
Museum.
The Planetarium is open every
Saturday and Sunday (throughout the year) and RI public school vacations
with programs at 2:00 pm. Children under age 4 are
not admitted into the Planetarium.
Homeschool Adventures
The Museum offers a variety of programs for homeschool families.
Fern Fossil
Forays
Visit a
locality in the shadow of the old Portsmouth coal mines.
This beach outcrop yields such neat Pennsylvanian Age
plant fossils such as Pecopteris, Neuropteris, Lepidodendron, and
Annularia.
Museum
Explorers Club
Families explore scientific topics through observation,
experimentation, arts, and crats. Club meeting take place Sundays of each month from 3:00pm-4:00pm. Program is free with the museum
admission.
Museum Make and Take Activity!
Drop in fun for the whole family!
Children of all ages are invited to discover the fun of science at the
family "make and take" activity table.
Daily.
Free with Museum admission.
Museum Membership Program
The Museum of
Natural History and Planetarium brings you the best family entertainment
value for your money through its new membership program. For more
information about the membership program or to become a member please
contact the Museum.
Birthday Parties
Make your child’s birthday a memorable day by celebrating at the Museum
of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park. Birthday
parties are available throughout the year. Parties are available
for children turning ages 5-12 and are offered on Saturdays and Sundays.
Monday Discovery Fun
Zone
Children
in
grades 3-5 will become young scientists as they Explore,
Experiment and Discover during these all new monthly programs!
Each month is filled with new and exciting activities. Topics include:
marine life, geology, insects, birds, mammals and so much more!!
Tuesday Discovery Fun Zone
Children
in grades K-2 will become young scientists as they Explore, Experiment and Discover
during these all new monthly programs!
Each month is filled with new and exciting activities. Topics include:
marine life, geology, insects, birds, mammals and so much more!!
Discovery Tykes
Children, ages 2-4 with parent, will investigate the world around them
as they Sing, Dance and Discover
in the Museum of Natural History’s new monthly series!
FREE with museum admission!
Cosmic Cadets
Prepare for Liftoff! Discover what it would be like to take a ride on the space shuttle or what astronauts eat in space, learn about how rockets fly or how satellites stay in orbit, and see moon rocks and meteorites. Cosmic Cadet Camp is a program filled with “astronaut training” hands-on activities for campers
ages 5-6. Camp
offered during school
vacations. Session is being offered during February school vacation.
MNH Space Camp
Prepare for liftoff! Launch into space exploration! Blast Off to
MNH Space Camp, an experience that includes challenging
hands-on projects and experiments for children ages 7-9.
Campers train to become junior astronauts and explore outer space
through exciting science experiments, NASA activities, planetarium
shows, and space and explorer games.
Camp offered
during school vacations.
Session is being offered
during February school vacation.
Astronaut Academy
Get ready to blast off to Astronaut Academy! Venture into the vast reaches of the universe while exploring our solar system and fascinating deep sky objects. Campers,
ages 10-12, discover astronomy, construct and launch rockets, and find out what it is like to live and work in space. Hands-on projects, science experiments, planetarium shows, and NASA activities show campers various ways to explore the universe.
Camp offered during school
vacations.
Space Tech
for Teens
Discover the science and technology behind space
exploration. Experiment with rovers, rockets, and robotics. Explore
other worlds in our Mission Moon exhibit. Campers train to become
the next generation of space explorers through science experiments,
robotics programming, engineering projects, and a special planetarium
show. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience for teens! For teens
ages 13-15.
MNH Bird Walks
Join us as we explore Roger Williams Park for colorful spring
migrants as they arrive from their wintering grounds. It's probable that
we will see and hear wood ducks, orioles, gnatcatchers, and warblers. We
may also encounter some of the other residents of the park such as deer
and fisher.
Drawing from
the Collections: A Course in Observational Sketching
Adults of all skill levels are welcome to participate. Classes take
place on selected Saturday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00pm.
Explore fundamental drawing techniques in a unique setting, utilizing
objects from the Museum’s vast collections. This focus of this drawing
class is on learning to look.
Life Long Learners Programs
Adults will discover the prominent role that nature played in people's
lives a century ago, and how it shaped this museum's founding in these
new programs.
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The Museum of Natural History is Rhode Island's
only natural history museum and is home to the state's only public
planetarium. For more than a century the Museum has served as a
unique educational, scientific and cultural resource by offering exciting
exhibitions, workshops and presentations that provide ways for children
and families to learn about our world and its people.
The Museum houses collections containing over one
quarter million objects pertaining to natural and cultural history
assembled from sites around the world. The natural history collections
include fossils, mollusks, minerals, rocks, mounted flora and fauna.
The cultural collections contain over 24,000 archaeological and
ethnographic specimens primarily of Native American and Pacific origin.
Visit the Museum and see our current
exhibitions:
Africa: Many Places, Many
Faces
This exhibit focuses on four ethnic groups and the eco-zones that they
inhabit. By drawing connections between people and their environments,
this exhibit explores the link between culture and nature, and
expose the vast diversity of the African continent. The exhibit consists of African material cultural objects, supplemented by natural
history specimens, photography, sound, and text panels which examine the individual cultures and the influences of African cultures
on our own society. In doing so, the exhibit will highlight the
connections between anthropology, art history, world history, and
ecology, and will examine African material culture through these various
lenses.
Exhibit was made possible through major funding support from Dr. Dwight
B. and Anna Cooper Heath and the Rhode Island Council for the
Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
All Things
Connected: Native American Creations
A showcase of Native American material culture.
Objects presented from the museum's collection of beadwork, baskets,
clothing, textiles, and other handmade objects. An interpretive component
of the exhibit focuses on how Native Americans interrelated with the
natural world.
Circle of the
Sea
The rich tapestry of Oceanic cultures - their
varied traditions, arts and skills - echoes the natural diversity found in
the Pacific islands. This new exhibit features objects from the museum's
collection from Oceania and focuses on the use of natural materials by
skilled craftspeople in the creation of objects of beauty and
prestige.
Natural
Selections:
Treasures from the Museum's Collections
At the turn of the century, natural history
collecting became an international movement. This Victorian styled exhibit
showcases treasures donated by private collectors which inspired the
founding of the Museum of Natural History in 1896.
Pole-to-Pole: Earth's Dynamic Extremes
On exhibit July 6, 2009 - December, 2009
Discover the frozen stretches of our planet that act as the Earth’s
thermostat. Pole-to-Pole will guide visitors on a unique multi-media
tour of Earth’s cryosphere…its frigid zone defined by polar ice caps.
Experience the ebb and flow, freezing, thawing, and re-freezing of our
planet’s dynamic polar regions captured by NASA satellite technology.
Featuring NASA’s Earth Observing System and MODIS imagery, this exhibit
will showcase the ever-changing landscapes of our planet’s polar
extremes.
Exhibit supported by NASA RI Space
Grant Consortium and Brown/NASA Northeast Regional Planetary Data
Center.
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