New Sesame Street-themed exhibition at Arizona Science Center focuses on the body

Can you tell me how to get to “Sesame Street?”
It’s easy! Simply visit “Sesame Street Presents: The Body” at Arizona Science Center starting on Sunday, June 30 and running through Sept. 2.
“Sesame Street Presents: The Body” is an interactive exhibition all about the human body for the whole family. The experience offers engaging, free-flowing learning set in the fun, familiar and reassuring world of Sesame Street.
Loveable Sesame Street Muppets anchor a collection of hands-on, multimedia experiences that allow children to explore the human body and how to keep it healthy. Each exhibit area has multiple activities to provide age-appropriate and exciting learning opportunities for children at a variety of developmental levels.
“Sesame Street Presents: The Body’ is an amazing educational attraction,” says Chevy Humphrey, president and CEO of Arizona Science Center.
“It is a hands-on, interactive learning experience that uses Sesame Street and its timeless cast of characters to deliver real science in wildly kinetic, imaginative and unforgettable ways that encourage kids to never stop wondering about their own bodies.”
The exhibition features three different education zones related to the human body:
Your Insides – “Your Insides” is an exploration of what goes on inside the body. Activities include the “Count’s Organ Organ,” which musically teaches kids about their internal organs’ locations and functions; “Digestion with Oscar,” a display that shows kids what happens to food when they eat it; and “Oscar’s Sneeze Machine,” where children pull a lever to irritate a big nose that actually sneezes on them!
Your Outsides – Children learn to identify different body parts, understand what they do, and explore the many ways they can put them to use. Exhibits include “Your Wonderful Hands,” featuring puzzles, sign language games, shadow puppets and more; “Your Legs and Feet,” an interactive exhibit that shows what happens when you put your legs in motion, and “Your Amazing Body,” an interactive video game where children choose the correct body part based on clues from Ernie and Bert.
Staying Healthy – Whether exercising, playing, dancing or even sleeping, the body is always hard at work. Visitors will learn how staying clean, eating healthy foods, and getting plenty of physical activity, as well as sleep, can help the body stay healthy. Ernie and Rubber Ducky get kids started in “Rub-A-Dub Tub,” a silly game that shows them just how much fun staying clean can be. Then it’s on to “Mr. Hooper’s Store,” where children scan groceries and receive messages about how different healthy meals are good for their bodies, and “Baby Bear’s Mini Mart,” a toddler-sized activity area where children can stock up on a variety of colorful, healthy foods. Finally, youth can put their bodies to the test in “Rosita’s Locomotion,” where they’re taught how the heart and different muscles work while pumping, rowing or running.
The exhibition emphasizes scientific investigation and developmental and curriculum-based learning goals for children ranging from two to eight years old. These learning goals tie into the National Science Education Standards, the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the Sesame Street Healthy Habits for Life Curriculum.
The concept is a result of Sesame Workshop’s initiative, “Healthy Habits for Life,” created in response to the current childhood obesity crisis in the United States. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and Thinkwell Group of Burbank, Calif., created the interactive experience.
“Each component of ‘Sesame Street Presents: The Body’ is geared toward children’s natural excitement about learning,” added Humphrey. “We believe that children learn best through active participation and self-discovery. The exhibition features a wide range of opportunities for children to observe, investigate, experiment and talk about what they are learning with their parent or caregiver.”
“Sesame Street Presents: The Body” will be located in Sybil B. Harrington Gallery, level 3. Open through Sept. 2, costs, including general admission to the center, are: $21.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors (62+) and students, $18 for children (ages 3-17) and $5 for members of Arizona Science Center.
The mission of Arizona Science Center is to inspire, educate and entertain people of all ages about science. The Center, located at 600 E. Washington Street in downtown Phoenix, features more than 300 hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations, the state-of-the-art Dorrance Planetarium and a five-story IMAX® theater.
For more information, visit www.azscience.org or call 602-716-2000.
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