The partner museums of the Arkansas Discovery Network are proud to present this quarterly e-newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter, and take advantage of all that the Network has to offer!

The mission of the Network is to bring world-class educational experiences to the children and families of Arkansas. A generous grant of $7.3 million from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation initiated the Network and made the programs possible.

---

This was the second year the Network sent Arkansas teachers to the Summer Teacher Institute at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Arkansas made a great showing this year with Kathy Sue Hopper, 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Cutter Morning Star High School in Hot Springs, winning an Iron Science competition and taking home the ribbon in the barbecue contest as well!

For more than 22 years, the Summer Teacher Institute at the Exploratorium has been training teachers from all over the country in inquiry learning techniques. The workshops are a rich mix of hands-on activities based on Exploratorium exhibits, content-based instruction, web-based teaching resources and machine shop experiences. Thanks to the Arkansas Discovery Network and the generous grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, these teachers are bringing all this knowledge and experience to schools across the state of Arkansas.

"I had an incredible time! The city, the instructors, my amazing classmates. It dawned on me while I was out there how progressive and on top of things the Arkansas Discovery Network is. To see Arkansas be such a large part of this institute... I was very impressed with the strides the network is taking to enhance science education in the state."

Amy Van Pelt, 8th Grade Integrated Science Teacher, Lakewood Middle School, North Little Rock

---

"Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body," is
touring Arkansas now!

The processes of the human body can be smelly, slimy and - thanks to this interactive exhibit - also highly educational. Grossology, based on the best-selling book, uses animatronics and imaginative exhibits to explore the good, the bad and the downright ugly about runny noses, body odor and much more.

Grossology is sliming it's way across Arkansas as it continues it's tour at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff - the exhibit will be there until August 26. Next stop on the tour is the Museum of Natural Resources in Smackover, where it arrives September 3 and will be open until January 6, 2008.

Grossology is sponsored statewide by Arkansas Children's Hospital.

---

Our newest exhibit is due to open this fall at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff. The exhibit was created by the Network museums in collaboration with Argyle Studios in New York.

The story begins when an archeological team mysteriously disappears from a dig site in Palenque, Mexico. They had been investigating a long-standing rumor that a priceless jade medallion is buried in the temple there. However, something horrifying has scared them off. Luckily, in their haste to escape, they managed to leave behind a video with clues and a warning to all who come after. In addition, they have left behind valuable information in the archeology, biology and astromathematics field stations that they constructed.

Our Student Archeologists must uncover the mystery of the dig site and find the priceless treasure, revealing The Mystery of the Mayan Medallion!

We've been searching all over the Internet and found some really cool games you can play with your kids. (You will have to have Flash installed on your computer to play these games.)

---

Kids' Quest officially began signing up kids this May, and already we have more than 200 members!

Kids' Quest is open to children ages 5 through 12. Sign your kids up to join the fun!

Members receive:

• Invitations to special exhibit parties at museums around the state
• Ten percent discount at any partner museum gift shop
• A special colored wristband from each partner museum you visit
• The Kids' Quest e-newsletter every three months with fun things to do, links to cool websites and news about what is happening at the Network museums
• Personalized membership card
• Kids' Quest T-shirt

Click here to sign up your child.

---

This collection of innovative, inquiry-based exhibits was developed and built especially for the Arkansas Discovery Network by the world-renowned Exploratorium in San Francisco. Through hands-on investigation, boys and girls of all ages will be engaged in learning about weather, sound, light, geology and motion.

Good Vibrations will be touring Arkansas at all of the partner museums in the next few years. Check the schedule for details!

Learn more about the Good Vibrations Exhibit. For fun activities to try at home, look for the "mini-vibes"!

---

What do carousels, volcanoes and a break-dancing caterpillar made of soap bubbles have to do with math and science? Tom Noddy, the Bubble Guy, makes good, clean and yes, educational fun with his amazing show, Bubble Magic. Tom visited all the Network museums this May & June dazzling audiences with Bubble Science!

Did you see Tom Noddy, the Bubble Guy, during his recent Arkansas tour? If you did, e-mail us your photos and we'll add them to our website. Click here to see the photos we've collected!

Bubble Recipe
Straight from the Bubble Guy's website, a recipe for your own bubbles:

1 part dish soap (Tom's having the best luck with yellow Joy)
16 parts water (hard water is bad, rain water is excellent; steam distilled water works)
8 parts Mr. Bubbles (actually, this is optional, but it can help)
Mix it well but don't make a lot of suds while mixing. It is better the next day.

For more cool bubble ideas, go to www.tomnoddy.com or www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html

---

How does the Arkansas Discovery Network benefit its partner museums and the communities they serve?

• Rural children are now getting the opportunity to see high-quality exhibits once only available to children living in larger cities.
• As a collaborative, the Network museums can secure and create one-of-a-kind exhibits and educational programs that are not possible for each museum alone.
• Fourteen teachers have been trained in inquiry learning techniques at the world-renown Summer Teacher Institute at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
• Since October 2006, more than 100,000 Arkansans have visited the Network museums to see one of these exhibits or educational programs.
• The partners have received more than $27,000 in exhibit sponsorships from local sources in the first six months.
• Network exhibits and events are featured regularly in local newspapers, magazine, television and radio advertising.

This year the network brought two world-class exhibits to Arkansas. One is Good Vibrations, a collection of hands-on exhibits developed by the world-renowned Exploratorium in San Francisco. Grossology, the (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, is currently touring the state. It is an extremely popular exhibit that has toured the United States and the world. The mobile museum on wheels, The Race for Planet 'X' arrived in Arkansas to rave reviews! The futuristic experience will bring science and engineering to thousands of rural kids who don't often get the chance to visit a museum. Tom Noddy, the Bubble Guy, brought Bubble Magic to Arkansas delighting children and families with the science of bubbles.

Find out more about the network of museums across the state of Arkansas.

---