If your parents never let you break open your Etch A Sketch to find out how it works, or if you've been wondering how to stop your toddler's push toy from making such an infernal racket, you'll love Toys: The Inside Story. The exhibition includes 12 different hands-on stations illustrating the simple mechanisms commonly found in toys, and lets visitors create their own toy-like combinations of gears, pulleys, linkages, cams, and circuits.
Toys was conceived and created over a period of three years by the Museum's exhibit staff and a legion of volunteer helpers. Upper Valley residents will be first to see this original exhibit beginning March 31.
Jack Gets Out of His Box gives visitors a close-up view of the music box/cam combination that frees our hero "Jack," while elsewhere we unmask the amazing collection of switches, cams and motors that make Elmo dance and Mr. Machine® run.
Many of the exhibits are free-form and open-ended in the traditional Montshire fashion. Gears at Play illustrates the effects of gear ratios as visitors figure out how to spin ballerinas and a carousel, while the Jeepers Peepers challenge at the pulley table may take a little experimentation to solve.
The exhibition was developed with funding from a National Science Foundation grant awarded to the Montshire in 2004. The funding is shared among seven museum partners around the country that comprise TEAMS (Traveling Exhibits at Museums of Science). In addition to Toys, Museum visitors will see three other original exhibitions created by fellow TEAMS museums over the next two years. After its debut at the Montshire, Toys will travel to six TEAMS museums in New York, Illinois, North Carolina, and Iowa.
The appearance of Toys: The Inside Story at the Montshire is sponsored by the Montshire Corporate Associates including: Tele Atlas North America (Platinum Sponsor); Allan's Vending Service, Centurion Insurance Group, Lake Sunapee Bank, Redpath & Co., and Computac, Inc. (Gold Sponsors); Concept 2, Economy Mechanical, Estes & Gallup, Ledyard National Bank, Mary Meyer Corporation, McLaughry Real Estate, Resource Systems Group, and Stave Puzzles Inc. (Silver Sponsors); and ARC Mechanical Contractors, Bruno Associates/ Engineers & Surveyors, Hanover Transfer & Storage, The Norwich Inn, and Trumbull-Nelson Construction Company (Bronze Sponsors). Additional grant funding was provided by Jane's Trus.
The exhibit is free with Museum admission and is open every day at the Montshire through September 9, 200. -- www.montshire.org
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