Featuring hands-on exhibits and activities that explore the wonders of water and ecosystems, Water will transform your school gymnasium into an interactive science museum. Highlights of the exhibition include an erosion table and virtual watershed sandbox.
Exhibits
Erosion Table
How does flowing water shape the Montana landscape? Visitors to this exhibit will explore the ever-changing nature of large river ecosystems and their floodplains through hands-on exploration that looks at flow, erosion, and braiding.
Gravity Water Well
Explore how eddies form and make water swirl using spectrUM's exciting Gravity Well. Visitors will place pennies and marbles down the Gravity Well to simulate water.
Groundwater Model
Explore how water flows through the ground and will be able to visualize the substrate below ground. Pump water from wells to see how it affects the lake and river. Inject a contaminant to determine how it will affect the groundwater.
Non-Point Source Pollution Table
Explore how pollution gets into the water system. Visitors to this exhibit will understand the difference between point source pollution and non-point source pollution and will experiment with ways to prevent environmental contamination.
Rivers of Air
Water isn't the only fluid that shapes the landscape. Experiment with wind and send streams of air along a wall of spinning pinwheels.
Virtual Watershed Sandbox
Create topography models by shaping real sand! The projector shows users an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water to explore watersheds, mapping, and ecosystems.
Water Acidification
How has the changing climate affected Montana's water and streams? Add carbon dioxide or clean air to the atmosphere and record the changes that occur in the water.
Water Bugs and Microscopes
Who lives in Montana's lakes and streams. Use hand-held microscopes to view and identify macro- and micro- invertebrates from nearby water sources.
Pre-Visit Packet, including Standards addressed by Water