The narrow alley or middle section between the exhibits sides is an intriguing space for kids to walk into. If I’m standing in the center I take a majority of the walkway and this can intimidate children. Thus, I try to be inviting and encouraging by smiling, using VTS, asking kids to try the wheel, and pointing them to the more interactive side (the lifting side).
I’ve found younger kids enjoy one wheel over the other; the timed-dial or smaller of the two wheels requires patience, and kids frequently miss the chance to change a component on the exhibit. I’ve seen a couple of kids attempting to use the one wheel at the same time on the lifting side (larger wheel).
Without doing the turning for the kids, I’ll encourage the child to quickly twist the smaller wheel to change the path (on the timed-dial side), but they’ll miss it regardless. I’ll stay and encourage them to try again, but as was presented it takes an approximate 1 to 2 minutes for another chance to change the path of a ball. One encounter I had was with a maybe 5-year-old boy twisting the dial, so I quickly explained that he could change the path once a ball came down. I gave him the go ahead when it came time but his reaction speed was slow so he missed it by a long shot. He didn’t seem that interested in trying again.
Oftentimes, I’ll move them to the larger wheel if it’s not occupied to keep them at the exhibit a little longer. Kids naturally observe the different movements and sound generating parts on the exhibit. Adults also notice certain parts, but due to the height differences between the little ones, I think the impact is less impressive. For kids, I notice they’re impressed by the magnitude and noise of the contraption. I see how they’re entranced by the surrounding mechanics (which almost fully encapsulates kids if it weren’t for the entrances of the narrow walkway), twisting paths, and colorful parts.
I agree that there should be a knob on the lifting wheel, as kids with their small hands have a harder time grasping the wheel. Parent will occasionally intervene and help with the turning, which is something I find disagreeable. It would be nice for kids to be independent at their attempts to test the mechanism out, but thankfully they’re still able to make their own observations.
As for the timed-dial side like Matthew mentioned it would be beneficial to either increase the frequency the ball passes or have a green light/red light or blinker to signal when they should turn the dial.
Heartbeat Drum
My experience in facilitating the Heartbeat Drum hasn’t been as variable as Danielle’s, however I’ve had enthused kids gravitate to the exhibit with little to no prompting.
The general participation at this exhibit is good once the initial challenge of getting the drum to start, at least for kids, is overcome. I’ve noticed that younger participants have a harder time trying to get a consistent drum because their small hands barely cover the metal detectors. Additionally, a lot of the younger kids have slow drum beats because their resting heart rate reflects their fit health (generally speaking; I’m not a doctor so please don’t reference me).
At some point I implement the VTS strategies, asking how they can change their heartbeat rate. Some kids will instinctively know to run in place or do jumping jacks. I had a young girl who was very committed to beating her own already quite rapid heartbeat rate to the point where she did 100 jumping jacks and started visibly sweating.
In general, once the machine is going people stay at the exhibit for an extended time, especially kids.
Sometimes visitors wait in line to use the exhibit and this can cause a decrease in interest. It isn’t like White Water where a number of people can use the exhibit at once.
I think a challenge is thinking of ways to make the exhibit an enjoyable experience for bystanders. For instance, one person can be using the Color Wheel but the giant spinning palette is still a wonder to observe.
The beating of the drum might not be as easy a phenomenon to explore than colors, but maybe there are strategies to make the sensory experience more variable or engaging in general for those in line.
-Samantha Brown
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