Fernbank Museum Press Kit
THE MARTHA H. ELLIS DISCOVERY ROOMSFernbank Museum of Natural History encourages children to develop a love of nature and science at an early age. Because many people develop their strongest passions at a young age, it is important to introduce young visitors to natural history.
The Discovery Rooms include The Coca-Cola Georgia Adventure, structured for children 6 to 9 years old, and Fantasy Forest, for children 3 to 5 years old. These areas help children enhance their power of observation, understanding of nature and commitment to the environment. As children visit Fernbank Museum, they will draw from these first experiences in the Discovery Rooms to help them understand the more complex concepts of other exhibitions.
The Coca-Cola Georgia Adventure
The Georgia Adventure depicts geographic regions of Georgia in interactive, colorful and imaginative areas, which are presented in a similar format to Fernbank's permanent signature exhibition, A Walk Through Time in Georgia, thus providing them with a bridge to future discovery.
Oconee Camp - As children enter the large canvas tent, they step into the naturalist environment of a field researcher, where they find specimens of fossils and seashells, and books to enhance their learning.
Georgia Adventure Terrarium - Discover many of Georgia's native amphibians inhabiting this beautiful recreation of a mountain stream. Children can be challenged to see how many different kinds of frogs and salamanders they can find living among the rocks, plants and moss. Minnows, crayfish and other water dwellers round out this self-contained ecosystem.
Jekyll Island Pier - Walking up the wooden dock, children step aboard a shrimp boat overlooking the ocean horizon. Here they can engage in a variety of hands-on, exploratory activities. Wooden mystery crates are stacked on the dock, allowing children to guess the contents using only their sense of touch. Clues are above the hand holes to help with detection of items such as starfish, crabs and other ocean objects.
Okefenokee Swamp - A giant cypress tree spreads its branches above the water, where children can fish from a small boat docked at the swamp. Exploring the region, they will see the flora and fauna native to the Okefenokee Swamp and will test their ability to maneuver across the "trembling earth," which recreates the squishy feeling of walking on Okefenokee moss.
Turkey Mountain - As children climb to the top of the mountain, they get a spectacular view of the regions of Georgia. Spotting scopes allow the young visitors to observe birds in flight over the regions. At the base of the mountain, a nocturnal forest bristles with nighttime animals, demonstrating the sounds that each makes.
Cohutta Cave and Coosa Creek - Located in the Blue Ridge Mountain region, the Cohutta Cave serves as the media center for young explorers. After creeping through the cave entrance, groups can view science and nature videos or slide presentations to enhance their learning experience. Adjacent to the cave entrance, Coosa Creek is modeled after a mountain stream.
Atlanta Cityscape - This model of Atlanta sits in the middle of the Georgia Adventure, serving as a rest area for both parents and children while entertaining them with miniature cities they can build of their own. Buildings, trees, water, parks, roads and cars are available for their imaginary city. Special programs held in Georgia Adventure utilize the Atlanta Cityscape for instruction and guidance.
Fantasy Forest
Fantasy Forest helps young visitors learn some of the basic concepts of nature in a colorful and imaginative atmosphere.
Fantasy Gateway - This room serves as the gateway to the world of creativity. Inside the straw hut, children will shed their everyday identities by donning "magic vests," which transform them into fantasy creatures.
Hide and See Maze - Preschoolers will discover the wonder of camouflage as they walk through the maze of patterned walls while wearing patterned vests. When they walk past the walls that match their vests, they nearly disappear into the patterns, teaching them the concept of camouflage and demonstrating how animals use it in nature.
Groovy Grove - A giant tree canopies the Fantasy Forest, allowing children to climb to the top of the Forest for a birds' eye view. On the way back down, youngsters encounter three hungry baby birds in a giant nest. Colorful worms near the nest are the birds' favorite food, and the young explorers can help at feeding time.
Shadow Cave - Mounted shapes are located inside the Shadow Cave, allowing children to experiment with shadows against the specially treated wall surface, which freezes the shadows briefly and allows kids a few seconds to appreciate their creation.
Habitat Wall - Here preschoolers can stretch their knowledge of where animals live by placing each one in its proper home. The Habitat Wall is an excellent group activity, encouraging children to jointly contribute to the creative process.
Farmer Giggler's Garden - Vegetables and flowers are always in season in Farmer Giggler's Garden. But in order to keep the flowers blooming, they require pollination. Preschoolers learn simulate this natural process by donning a bee glove and transporting pollen balls to the flowers. As the pollen nourishes the flowers, they blossom moving their petals up and down. The vegetable garden is ready for harvest. Youngsters sort the vegetables by plucking them from the vines and the ground and placing them into bins to be taken to the market.
Shady Swamp - A path of colorful lighted footsteps leads young visitors into the Shady Swamp, where they will meet a giant bird, a playful otter and other swamp inhabitants. Youngsters also have the opportunity to go fishing in the neighboring "pond." Preschoolers can use this point of reference throughout their learning experiences as they become more familiar with Georgia Adventure and A Walk Through Time in Georgia.
The Children's Discovery Rooms are reserved for school educational programs during the school year Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. On Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and during breaks in the school session, the rooms are available to the general public all day. earn about the geological, cultural and aesthetic history of gemstones while appreciating their rich beauty.
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