Kids' Quest members and their families were invited the the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover to enjoy Mayan Family Night on December 30. The party was a big success, with around 45 people attending. Those who attended played Mayan games, learned about the Mayan culture from a variety of interactive exhibits, and enjoyed Mayan snacks.

Throughout the universe you can find examples of objects moving around other moving objects — Earth around the Sun, the Moon around the Earth. To see more clearly how this works, you can make your own very simple model!

You'll need:

* A small round object (marble or bead)
* Disposable pie pan (a paper plate may be used if it has 2 to 3 cm deep sides)
* Pushpin
* Several layers of corrugated cardboard

Place the marble in the pie pan and spin the pan, keeping the marble contained within the pan. Observe the motion of the marble while the pan is moving and as it is stopped.

Push the pushpin through the center of the pie pan and then into the cardboard. (Stack the corrugated cardboard together to serve as a surface to push the pin into to protect the table top.) Quickly rotate the pie pan with the marble near the outer edge of the pan. Place the marble near the center of the pan and spin again. Observe the motions of the marble each time. Remove the pan and cut a wedge-shaped piece from one side of the pan. Repeat each trial and record the new results.

Does the marble spin or slide when the pan is spun? Does it move to the center or to the edge when spun? What path does it take when there is an opening along its path? (Does it continue to follow a curved path after it leaves the pan?)

Just like the Turntable exhibit, the CDs in a CD player move faster near the edge than the center. To make up for this, the player goes at different speeds depending on where the track is on the CD.

Come learn more about motion for yourself at Good Vibrations: Light, Sound and Motion, which is coming to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock on January 17. If you're in the Texarkana area, you can enjoy it at Discovery Place Children's Museum until January 11.

See pics of all 15 Good Vibrations exhibits on our Flickr photostream!

Everything you always wanted to know about your body - but were too polite to ask...

The Arkansas Discovery Network brought Grossology to our partner museums across Arkansas starting with the Museum of Discovery in September of 2007. You have until January 4 to see it in Jonesboro when the Arkansas tour ends.

Did you see Grossology while it was in Arkansas? If so, tell us all about it!

Find out all about Grossology or enjoy some Gross activities!

Photos of Grossology on Flickr!

The Arkansas Discovery Network would like to keep you informed about everything going on in the Network, including where we've been and our plans for the future. If you'd like to keep informed on the more "grown-up" side of what we're doing, you can sign up for our monthly Grown-Up E-Newsletter. If you'd like to see some of our past Grown-Up E-Newsletters, go to http://www.arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org/grown-ups/newsletter.html.

Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff
January activities at Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas
The Arts & Science Center will present “One Ninth,” a dynamic new play about the Little Rock Nine, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the Center. The “One Ninth” company, part of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, will perform with students from Dollarway High School. The performance will also include community conversations about the play, the 1957 desegregation crisis and the play’s themes. This project is made possible through support from the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; Fred Darragh Foundation; Robert S. Lindsey Foundation for One Ninth study guides; The Hearst Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Museum of Discovery, Little Rock
Boy Talk  $20
Jan. 24, 2009
Programs at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
A Museum educator facilitates a frank and sensitive discussion with boys and their male caregivers about the changes that puberty brings.  Dr. Gene Lu, pediatrician, will be present to answer questions.
Seating is limited.  Call 369-7061 for registration.
Good Vibrations
Jan. 17-April 5
Vibrations affect weather, sound, light, geology, and motion.  
Cold Blooded Creatures
Jan. 21-24
Meet snakes, lizards and more.
Wiggle Worm Discoveries
Moving to Tuesdays 10a.m. in January
Science literacy through experiments, crafts, and live animals.
Paws, Claws, and Tails
Jan. 3 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Meet unusual animals: crocodiles, chinchillas and more.
Saturday Discoveries – Dinomites!
Jan. 10 1:00-4:00 p.m.
All things dinosaur.

To see what else is going on at our partner sites across the state, see our Events page.