Wall of Water
This fascinating display, brought to the Adventurarium by The City of Gillette, represents average daily water use in our homes. Visitors can see how much water people use for brushing teeth, washing clothes, taking a shower, and much, much more.
Magnetic Ramp Wall
Design and build a vertical ramp system. Predict and investigate alone or with a friend. The vertical surface of the Magnet Wall provides a unique alternative to working with ramps on the ground. Magnetic parts are movable and allow for limitless designs and configurations.
Vertical drops and descending pathways delight and intrigue kids through adults!
Bubble Room
In the bubble room you can make a wall bubble and then blow small bubbles from that. Next, stand in the middle of the biggest bubble you have ever seen! This 360 degree bubble maker is formed from a small tractor tire, a hula hoop, a pulley and rope. Great fun!!!
Thank you Heather Rodriguez of Hidden in the Light Designs for the beautiful mural!
Augmented Reality Sandbox
An augmented reality (AR) sandbox allows users to create topography models by shaping real sand, which is then augmented in real time by an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water.
For more information on the AR sandbox check out: https://arsandbox.ucdavis.edu/
Gear Wall
Arrange the gears on the metal wall, in a way that the gears are all connected from the top to the bottom. Now, crank the handle. Are you able to turn the disk or propeller with your configuration of gears? Experiment with different sized gears. As you turn the crank, you transfer energy from your arm to the first gear. The first gear transfers energy to the second, and so on. In the end, the energy from your arm is transferred to the propeller or disk, making it turn. This helps introduce the function of simple machines.
Gravity Well
Send the steel balls orbiting around the hyperbolic funnel. The balls will accelerate and decelerate before dropping into the center hole. This exhibit demonstrates the concept of centripetal force. This is a force that causes an object to move in a circular path. Gravity pulls the ball down into the hole. Want to know more? You can research Kepler's Law of Planetary Motion.
Cave
Step into the shadows and explore nature’s underground secrets. Our Cave invites you into a mysterious subterranean world where geology and biology meet. Discover glowing fluorescent rocks that light up under UV light, marvel at the intricate beauty of stalactites and stalagmites, and get to know some of the fascinating creatures that call caves home—including bats that rely on echolocation, and lizards that have adapted to life in the dark.
Science Gadgets
Play meets physics in our hands-on science toy collection.
Explore the fun side of science with classic and curious toys that spark creativity and critical thinking. Solve the colorful challenge of a Rubik’s Cube, watch momentum and energy transfer in a Newton’s Cradle, set off satisfying chain reactions with rows of dominoes, and calm your senses with our collection of sensory toys designed to engage touch, sight, and sound. Whether you're puzzling, tinkering, or simply exploring, this interactive exhibit shows how science is everywhere—even in play.
Momentum Machine
The Momentum Machine demonstrates the concept of “angular momentum.” Stand in the middle on the circular platform and hold on. With a slight push you begin to spin. It is immediately noticeable that the straighter one stands, bringing body parts closer to the axis of rotation, the faster one spins. Although "linear momentum" depends only on the mass of an object and its velocity, the angular momentum also depends on how far the mass is from the axis of rotation.
Earthquake Table
Put your engineering skills to the test. Our Earthquake Table provides children with an opportunity to experiment with a variety of structural designs and the ability of each to withstand the punishment of this natural phenomenon. Once a structure is built, a button is pressed that initiates the earthquake, which lasts for a predetermined amount of time. Will your structure remain standing? If not, how can you improve upon the design so that it survives the quake?
Sand Pendulum
When the pendulum oscillates, the sand spills and draws beautiful figures. A pendulum is an object connected to a fixed support in such a way that it is free to swing back and forth under the influence of gravity. The typical pendulum consists of a weight, or bob, and a wire or slender rope by which the bob is suspended. At rest, the bob hangs directly below the point of support; if the bob is moved from this position and released, gravity causes it to swing back and forth along a circular arc at the end of the wire or rod. When the bob reaches the end of one swing, gravity causes it to begin to fall and gain speed as it moves downward. After it passes the lowest point in the swing, the bob begins to move upward along the arc. Gravity then causes the bob to slow down until it stops and begins to fall again. The bob continues to swing back and forth in the same vertical plane unless acted upon by an outside force.
Shadow and Light Room
The shadow wall is a phosphorescent wall used with a timed light source to capture and display children’s shadows.
The white light wall has red, green, and blue spotlights that together, shine on a wall. The wall is white because red, blue, and green light combine to make white light. Stand between the spot lights and wall, and something amazing happens!
The plasma ball is a small Tesla coil. Inside the glass globe is a partial vacuum. This means that some of the air has been sucked out. Because there is not as much air in there, it is easier to make electric sparks that can be seen. The electrons then travel out into the air from the glass ball.
Salt Water and Fresh Water Tanks
We have salt water and fresh water fish tanks to enjoy. Here you see two Chocolate Chip Sea
Stars eating. They digest prey outside of their bodies by pushing their stomach out through their mouth
and enveloping their meal. Once the food is digested, their stomach is drawn back into their body. Very interesting!!
Wind Tunnel
This wind tunnel is fun for all ages. Concepts such
as flight, air current, air resistance and gravity are explored through play and hands-on investigation.