Bubble Room

In the bubble room, children learn about airflow, surface tension, geometric shapes, and color. Some of the fun, interactive components of the bubble room include bubble tables, bubble wands, a bubble wall, and a bubble hoop in which children can surround themselves in a giant bubble! Photo by Haverland Photography.

The Oregon Room
Opened January 2011

Venture behind a glittering waterfall, through a volcanic mountain and explore a miniature Willamette Valley. Pick apples in our orchard and tend vegetables in the fields. Climb the Coast Range then build sandcastles at the coast or put on a play with our marine-themed puppets. Our Eastern Oregon Annex includes a fossil dig and petroglyph wall. Children can make their own petroglyph with a heat-sensitive imprint on the wall. Throughout both spaces, murals by local artist Abram Heard depict the state's lush ecological diversity.

Toddler Room

Infants and toddlers require facilities tailored to their unique developmental needs, their vulnerabilities, and their capabilities. We considered the developmental milestones for infants, crawler, and toddlers through brain research data as we designed the room. All areas of the exhibit meet child safety standards for this age range and the space will only be accessible to children ages birth through 35 months, and their caregivers.

Toy Inventors' Workshop

This exhibit features a central workstation for children to create fabulous toys and other inventions from common household goods. Explore the artist inside you by creating a number of fun, take-home projects.

Brazilian Rainforest Theater

Beware the giant anthill has you duck beneath lush foliage and enter the heart of a Brazilian Rainforest, our newest exhibit on the second floor of the Gilbert House. Gorgeous murals frame the stage and a brilliant waterfall creates the perfect backdrop for performers. A camera and TV screen allow actors to watch their performances as they happen. Costumes include animal-print capes, safari hats, and more to help visitors create open-ended adventures.

Village Vet Clinic
Opened August 2011

Put on a vet’s coat and help animals be healthy, happy pets in the Village Vet Clinic, the museum’s newest exhibit. From screening animal X-rays to weighing a puppy on the scale, children can participate in real-life vet clinic situations as they learn about proper pet care. Located on the second floor of the Gilbert House, the Village Vet Clinic will spur your child’s imagination with an exam table, a colorful kennel, a washing station and an array of stuffed animals needing TLC.

Undersea Cave of Frozen Shadows

This is the new and improved Shadow Room! Relocated to the Gilbert House and redesigned with marine murals and glowing jellyfish suspended from the ceiling, the Shadow Room remains a favorite exhibit. Press the button, walk over to the wall, pose, and, flash! your shadow remains on the wall. The material on the wall of our Shadow Room absorbs light energy and re-emits it for several seconds. Where you made a shadow, less light hits the wall and less light is re-emitted. Your shadow remains after you move away. Also, take a dive in the USS Gilbert Submarine Station with a peak-a-boo view into the Shadow Room.

A Walk Through Time

Throughout the ages, different cultures have tracked time in various ways. Explore with us how these methods are connected and also unique. This interactive exhibit teaches the distinction between analogue and digital clocks, modern calendars versus those of the ancient world, and how days and weeks are tracked. Try this: have a seat in the time machine and pretend to travel to any date in the past or future. What was the world like a thousand years ago? What will it be like thousands of years from now?

Exhibits for Sale

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