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Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena unveils new 'Physics Forest'

A Kidspace attendee marvels at the Bottle Rocket exhibit in the new "Physics Forest."
A Kidspace attendee marvels at the Bottle Rocket exhibit in the new "Physics Forest."
(
Photo courtesy of Kidspace
)

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Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena unveils new 'Physics Forest'

The Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena Thursday unveiled its new Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest.

The 30,000 square-foot outdoor playground is the biggest expansion project since the museum moved from Old Town Pasadena to its current location in Brookside Park in 2004.

It features 13 hands-on interactive exhibits that are all based around physics. Museum marketing manager Tim Scheidler says the playground also includes a roller coaster.

“Kids have the opportunity to literally create their own roller coaster, and then drop a ball, and then see if the ball can handle the force its created, and as well as get through some of the obstacles," said Scheidler. "At the end of the roller coaster, we have a loop-de-loop and some rolling hills and a few other things to help them connect with kinetic energy.”

Scheidler said he hopes the new exhibits get kids more excited about science and curious about how the world works.

The Physics Forest was funded by a $2.5 million donation from the Galvin Family Foundations and a $1.7 million grant from the California Cultural & Historical Endowment.

Kidspace Children’s Museum is on its summer schedule—open 7 days a week—through the end of next month.

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Museum admission is $10 each for parents and children. Kids under a year old get in free.

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