HANDS-ON MUSEUM MAKES SCIENCE FUN.Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer The name describes a thriving place, a large space whose rooms are filled with varied life and rich experiences. ``We always describe the home as our castle, and the Earth is our home - thus the name Castle Earth,'' said Jerry Adlof, who along with his wife, Tracy, founded and operates a children's science museum by that name. Tucked away in the corner of a shopping mall, the 5,200-square-foot museum brims with interactive learning opportunities for parents and children. ``We liked the name because it also sounds like a colorful place, with a lot going on, and unlike many traditional museums, it's a living
There are rabbits, snakes, tortoises, chickens and even an endangered Chinese water dragon Chinese water dragon (green lizard) Physignathus cocincinus. Males can grow up to 36 inches in length, females up to 24 inches. Its color can vary between a bright green and a dark brown, according to the stresses of its environment. . In addition to the living, breathing displays, there are science exhibits ranging from a model fossil dig to a magnetism display. Paleontologist Marion Odono donated many of the dinosaur bones displayed in a central section. Live animals are displayed in another section. ``A child can learn about everything from furry friends to the periodic table of elements here,'' Adlof said. ``And everything is interactive, and many science displays are made with things that can be found around the home, so kids can go home and try it themselves.'' Some exhibits are challenging, such as a black-light exhibit that teaches children about stars and phosphorescence phosphorescence (fŏs'fərĕs`əns), luminescence produced by certain substances after absorbing radiant energy or other types of energy. , or the model fossil dig with an archeologist's string grid in place over sandy soil. Children can dig or brush away sand and find a simulated treasure, then look up at the exhibit wall to learn the geologic period of their find. Scavenger hunt scavenger hunt n. A game in which individuals or teams try to locate and bring back miscellaneous items on a list. questionnaires lead parents and children through exhibits with a set of educational questions. ``It's great because it's such a hands-on place. Here they want the kids to touch everything - to touch all the different things and feel the different textures,'' said Marty Orta, who brought 6-year-old Matthew Adams to the museum Saturday afternoon. ``We've already done dino-bones and solar system solar system, the sun and the surrounding planets, natural satellites, dwarf planets, asteroids, meteoroids, and comets that are bound by its gravity. The sun is by far the most massive part of the solar system, containing almost 99.9% of the system's total mass. questions. Now we're trying `Here and There.' It's great for him because he's learning to spell, so he has to pick words out from the question sheet and find them in the exhibit,'' Orta said. Strutting delightedly around the strobe-lit room, Matthew was able to answer the first question: What is the name of the flashing light Flashing Light is a rhythmic light in which the total duration of the light in each period is clearly shorter than the total duration of the darkness and in which the flashes of light are all of equal duration. ? ``It's a S-T-R-O-B-E, strobe strobe n. 1. A strobe light. 2. A stroboscope. 3. A spot of higher than normal intensity in the sweep of an indicator, as on a radar screen, used as a reference mark for determining distance. ,'' he pronounced - after reading the letters off the exhibit name. The pair continued to the black-light room with stars and comets adorning the walls and ceiling, then on to a barnyard display. Adlof is always asking patrons for suggestions to improve exhibits, and he looks for new display ideas. The former movie theater manager is a natural teacher who approaches parents and children to discuss exhibits. Adlof and his wife began the museum 2-1/2 years ago after creating science exhibits for schools on a volunteer basis. About 200 school groups, including 20,000 children, have visited the museum since it opened. ``I've just always loved science, though I'm not educated formally in science,'' Adlof said. ``We were doing these exhibits for schools, and it got to the point where we had so much stuff and nowhere to put it.'' The museum operates as a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. . Admission fees pay for operating expenses Operating expenses The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted. . Adlof, his wife, his two children and other volunteers run the museum. Castle Earth Children's Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $5.50 per child and $3 per adult. People may call (805) 583-5243 for more information about volunteering, field trips, group rates and donations. The museum is located at 77 Tierra Rejada Road, at the far west corner of the Kmart shopping center. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1 -- Conejo and SAC edition only) Claire Berner, 2, of Newbury Park looks at an allosaurus Allosaurus, late Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur of the W United States. Specimens of 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m) have been found. It had stong hind legs, smaller sharply clawed forelimbs, two small horns directly above the eyes, and expandable jaws that could widen to skull at the Castle Earth Children's Museum. (2 -- SAC edition only) A ground squirrel peeks out of museum owner Jerry Adlof's shirt Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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