LIBERTY PARK SCIENCE MUSEUM
In the beginning of the Spring semester, 2018, I was optimistic and positive about all my classes. I was looking forward for a more concentrated semester with no distractions. One day my Biology professor came into the class and announced that we might visit a Science Museum for our course. It was an optional request, we could chose to go or not to go. I recall very vividly my reaction on that day because I have never liked visiting museum and arts exhibits. I always found them to be boring and not exciting. Later the professor insisted that students must go and it was not an option, so I didn’t have a choice than to visit one of the science museums. My classmate and I chose to visit Liberty Park Science Museum, with our children in tow. That day my opinion on museums changed completely. The museum is located in one of the most beautiful parks in New Jersey. From the back view, one can see the skyscrapers of New York. Inside the museum was scientific exhibition, laboratories for experiments and scientific entertainments.
The scientific exhibitions were so amazing, one of them was from the movie Avatar. Avatar are believed to be blue-skinned people from the moon. There were some buttons to press so that one can learn the Avatar`s language which is known as Na`vi. We were told it is for our own benefit to learn the language just in case those creatures make their way to the Liberty Museum. It was a silly joke but we loved it, especially my daughter. Avatar humans lived in harmony and worshipped a goddess named Eywa. We also had the opportunity to try on space costumes for the astronauts; my daughter imagined herself on the moon. There was also a place where children were entering and there was compressed air pressure which my daughter really enjoyed, the air pressure made her feel as if she was flying in the air. We had the opportunity to visit. “Wonder of the Night Sky” exhibition which was amazing exploring the galaxy using the Hubble Space telescope, we could see the galaxy just as the astronauts do. I loved the exhibition.
The young scientist laboratories were great. It encouraged children on becoming scientists in the future. The children have the opportunity to do different experiments. The children conducted different tests like how to clean tap water, they even conducted more tests so that they could know if the water was safe for drinking. There is one experiment my daughter and I enjoyed. It was known as “A Look Inside”. It is an anatomical mirror where one gets an x-ray look on your own body. “It looked amazing because we could see our skeletons and the way the bones were joined together. The experiment gave us an idea on how muscles are attached to the skeleton work together. I don’t like physics, but the “Conductors and Insulators” experiment made me like it. We explored how electricity was formed and the material used to conduct it. At the end of these experiments my daughter and I loved all of them.
There is a proverb which states that, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” After all these exhibitions and experiments it was time for some entertainment. Though those entertainment were scientific, we really enjoyed ourselves. Since we were tired of standing up, we looked for one which we could at least sit down for some minutes. We headed for the Center Stage Science. There the science was brought to life on stage in a theatre, the science ranged from Chemistry, weather or electricity, which was about the Nikola Tesla Coils. The coil is high voltage with a million volts. It was a half an hour show, which we explored differences in pace and energy of electricity. The show were from the weather show, which produced sounds that were thunder roars and tornadoes, the sounds were so high that one was required to put on headphones. The one we loved most was the “Nikola Tesla Lightning Show,” we had the opportunity to witness the singing Tesla coils, the wireless illumination and the robotic drums. The sounds were wonderful and the musical lightning was beautiful. I could not believe how 30 minutes ended. The show was not only entertaining but also educative. I felt as if the organizers of the show had deducted our time. My daughter also had an opportunity of wall-climbing which was entertaining for most children present that day.
Final, if anyone can approach me today and ask if I would like to visit a museum, I would not let him/her to finish the sentence, because my answer would be a strong yes. From henceforth I changed my perspective on the exhibition and museum theatres. My visit to Liberty State Park Museum was not only educative but also entertaining; the exhibitions and the laboratories experiments. My daughter, my classmate and I had a great and wonderful day. We went back home with new experiences, learned and entertained.
