Joel Gordon on...Backyard Science

JOEL GORDON with daughter Lily

I had the pleasure of conversing with Joel Gordon, Museum of Discovery Exhibit Director, about Backyard Science, a cool new exhibit at the Museum. Joel designed and installed this exhibit, so he has a lot of cool insights about it.

KM: So, what is the exhibit BACKYARD SCIENCE about?

JG: The point of Backyard Science is to teach that science is everywhere, it’s not a far out discipline reserved for mega-geniuses, it’s all around us. What we want people to take away from BYS is an excitement and urge to explore their own back yard. When kids are watching the ants in their back yard, it’s science. When rain clouds gather, it’s science.

KM: "Backyard science" seems to be a buzzword lately. Can you tell us why?

JG: If you get online and search “back yard science” you’ll get hundreds of pertinent hits. You will see kids doing experiments at home on You Tube, you’ll see instructions for doing experiments yourself with your kids. It’s a popular movement that encourages a real connection with the sciences all around us.

KM: You designed this exhibit, right?

JG. Yes. I designed it and the Museum of Discovery cooperated with the Arkansas Discovery Network to build the exhibits. I wanted to see a few exciting exhibit pieces that spanned a range of disciplines. This gives our kids a chance to show us what branch of science they could get excited about. Biology, physics, astronomy and earth sciences are some of the disciplines children will be exposed to.

KM: Why is Backyard Science a smaller exhibit?

JG: BYS is a small exhibit for two reasons; we don’t want to overwhelm, we want to entice and encourage discovery at home and we want this exhibit to travel easily. The Network wants this exhibit to travel to other parts of the state and give smaller communities an opportunity to benefit."

Thank you so much Joel, for giving us blog readers some firsthand information on Backyard Science.

Backyard Science is now open and part of the Arkansas Museum Road Trip. The exhibit was developed by the Museum of Discovery in cooperation with the Arkansas Discovery Network, funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. We want to thank Bank of America for sponsoring.

Remember that on these HOT summer days, the Museum is a GREAT place to visit! Leave us a comment and let me know all about it!