[meteorite-list] A Dynamic Kids' Attraction (Sudbury Crater)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:21:05 2004
Message-ID: <200307162008.NAA24047_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030716/SUDBURY16/TPTravel/TopStories

A dynamic kids' attraction

Together with Science North, Sudbury's Dynamic Earth makes the city a prime
family destination

By ILONA BIRO
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
July 16, 2003

SUDBURY, ONTARIO -- If your children love dinosaurs,
volcanoes and watching endless reruns of The Magic School
Bus, they'll love Sudbury. Not only is it home to the
world-renowned Science North science centre, but it now
has a complementary attraction called Dynamic Earth. The two, billed as the
Dynamic Duo, will keep dinosaur-loving rock hounds entertained for days.

To get your kids in the mood for their voyage of discovery, tell them the
story of Sudbury's origins. Way back before the dinosaur age, about two
billion years ago, a massive meteorite slammed into Earth, leaving a
100-kilometre-wide by 15-kilometre-deep crater known as the Sudbury Basin.

At Dynamic Earth, you can relive the meteorite's impact through an
innovative presentation called The Sudbury Story, which tells the tale of
our planet so compellingly, you can almost feel the rock shifting beneath
your feet. In the Earth Gallery you can test your knowledge of geology or
watch a video called Eye on the Planet, which explains gravity, plate
tectonics and radioactivity well enough that my five-year-old understood it.
Beautiful, large-scale photography of the planet's most interesting natural
formations left us awestruck, as did an area devoted to lesser-known geology
facts.

And when the kids have had enough geology, they can head downstairs to the
Explora Mine and shunt and shovel coal in a small-scale mining operation.
They'll have a blast here (literally) by pushing a button and activating
sound effects that mimic dynamite blasting out a wall. Or let them take the
controls of a modern mine at the Mining Command Centre, where a joystick and
remote cameras are the tools for manipulating heavy equipment. Next door at
Nickel City Stories, Sudbury's history is told through the eyes of a local
who has heard it all, a barber named Louie. Through his engaging patter and
an innovative mix of slides, music and film, you get a sense of the people
who founded Sudbury and made it what it is today.

But the highlight is the INCO Chasm tour, where a glass-fronted elevator
takes visitors on a voyage through space and time. As you descend 20 metres
into the mine, lights and projections on the rock face create images of the
beginnings of the Earth. After donning hard hats and passing through airlock
doors, visitors can tramp through a warren of reconstructed tunnels that
represent mining technology from the turn of the century to the present. Our
guide, Jennifer Perreault, started off by telling us she "really shouldn't
be down here at all. For centuries, women were considered bad luck in
mines." "Damn right," joked a retired miner who was in our group. As
Perreault explained the evolution of mining, the miner helped us understand
the day-to-day struggles of a working life spent underground.

After ascending out of Dynamic Earth, we hopped across town to Science
North, a unique snowflake-shaped building on the shores of Lake Ramsey. Its
hands-on science experiments and sense of fun appeal to kids of all ages,
and this summer's exhibit of life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs makes it an
absolute must-see. Lie on a bed of 3,000 nails and painlessly learn about
surface area, or play in the stream table and observe the properties of
water in action. And make sure to visit the Swap Shop, where kids can bring
in specimens they find in Nature to earn points and trade for specimens left
by others. Points can be used immediately or can be banked for future
trading in the Swap Shop's constantly rotating "collection." Points are
rewarded according to how much someone knows about their object, so the
whole process gets kids observing, asking questions, and thinking
independently. It's no wonder the centre has drawn praise from both Jane
Goodall and Prince Charles.

Science North's innovations also include its multimedia Object Theatres,
which explain complex scientific concepts in an engaging, and often comical,
way. The newest one, a hilarious tour de force about global warming,
features Rick Mercer as a wisecracking sheep who endures all kinds of weird
weather while lambasting humankind for messing up the planet. During the
course of the show, the audience gets buffeted with wind, sprinkled with
rain, and learns a lesson in climate change they'll never forget.

Our last stop was Dinosaur Valley Mini Golf, 30 minutes north of Sudbury,
where hand-forged steel dinosaur skeletons loom over a network of 54 holes.
Along the way we played "guess where the meteorite crater ends." We actually
think we found it, halfway between Chelmsford and Onaping Falls, along
Highway 144.

More fun than license-plate bingo, it's a car game you could only play in
Sudbury.

Dynamic Duo passports are available for Dynamic Earth and Science North for
$39.95 for adults and $29.95 for students and seniors. They include
admission to both science centres and entry to three selections from Science
North's Imax films or Virtual Voyages rides.

The dinosaur exhibit at Science North runs until Sept. 1. For more
information, call (800) 461-4898, or visit http://www.sciencenorth.on.ca or
http://www.dynamicearth.ca.

Dinosaur Valley Mini Golf: Web: http://www.dinosaursudbury.ca.
Received on Wed 16 Jul 2003 04:08:29 PM PDT