Meet Cuddles the Scorpion

Hi!  I'm Cuddles the Scorpion!

I really don't like my cute name. I'd rather be called something cool like VENOM or TOXIN or STING. I'm a carnivore, which means I eat meat. What people find cool about me is that I 'glow' under ultraviolet light. I'm a big fan of 80s music and I can't decide which of these songs is my favorite: “I Wear My Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart and “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by The Scorpions. Read more about my friends HERE.

Come see me (and more of my buggy friends) at

Thanks to our local sponsor

Healthy Habits at Home, Ginger Beebe

Arkansas' First Lady Ginger Beebe

As First Lady of Arkansas, I care deeply about the well-being of the children of our State. They are our future and our greatest responsibility.


Childhood obesity is a growing problem in our Nation and in our State. Almost 38 percent of Arkansas children and teens are overweight or obese, compared to 29 percent nationwide. Being overweight not only contributes to other health problems, it also affects academic performance. The obesity epidemic is not something we can ignore; fighting it requires a persistent focus on daily efforts to change our eating and fitness routines.


There are small steps we can take to teach Arkansas children healthier ways to live. We have to change the way people think about food, not just children but parents and teachers, as well. We have to increase physical activity and encourage children to play outside. You can even start your own garden, and have children learn the benefits of working with the soil to produce delicious food!


If we all work together, we can help ensure a healthy future for all children in Arkansas!


Below, you will find some of my favorite easy-to-prepare recipes for children. I encourage you to visit my Web site at http://www.arkansasfirstlady.com/ to view more recipes.


Pizza Squares
2 (8- count) packages refrigerator crescent roll dough 1 carrot grated
4 green onions, chopped
½ cup black olives, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 small head broccoli florets cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup shredded low fat Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cauliflower
16 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll dough and pat into a rectangle on a baking sheet, pressing the perforations gently to seal. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove crust and let stand until cool.


Toss vegetables with the cheese in a large bowl and set aside. Combine cream cheese and salad dressing mix with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Spread cream cheese mixture over the cooled baked crust. Sprinkle with the vegetable mixture. Cut into small squares to serve.


You can substitute other vegetables if you like. Example: bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach leaves, red onion, and alfalfa sprouts.


Apple Cheddar Quesadillas
6 whole wheat tortillas
12 oz. shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese
2 apples (Gala or Fuji), washed and sliced
2 tbsp. butter


Sprinkle 2 to 3 tbsp. cheese over one-half of tortilla.
Place several apple slices, barely overlapping, on top of cheese.
Then sprinkle 2 more tbsp. of cheese on top of apples and fold tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat and cook quesadillas until the cheese melts and the tortillas are golden brown on both sides.


Editor's Note: MOD Voices is honored to have our state's First Lady as a guest blogger.

Annual camp-in at the Museum

What happens when a group of kids spends the night at the Museum of Discovery?  This young visitor explains.

Why do 'hissing cockroches' hiss?

Jayme from the Audubon Insectarium explains why (and how) "hissing cockroaches" make the sounds they do. 
Every Saturday and Sunday through January 9, 2011 visit the 'Harry's Big Adventure Bug Petting Zoo' on the upper level of the Museum of Discovery. (Also visit the Museum of Discovery's permanent bug collection on the lower level.)

Many other hands-on experiences are part of the exhibit

 (and included in your museum admission)

Thanks to our local sponsor

We love big kids

Raucous laughter reverberated down the hallway and we wondered who was having such a great time.  Students from ASU Beebe were in the house, earning continuing education credits.  Here they play with our heat-sensing camera. Notice how they tried to act more 'grown up' once they realized a camera was on them. :-)  It's ok, kids, carry on.

You don't have to be a kid or have a kid to have a roaring good time at the Museum of Discovery!

Harry behind the scenes

WHEW!  After 5 days of setup, the exhibit is open! 

Many thanks to the folks at Terminix and Clarkworks

for their wonderful work.



The "Zoom Room"



Connecting the water tubes in the water habitat.

Ernest from Clarkworks introduces Cuddles the Scorpion

The floor plan. 

Harry, uncrated.



Come see Harry and his friends. Every weekend, we'll have extra special activities such as the Bug Chef, Bug Handlers, Cricket Spitting Contests, and Roach Races! Thanks to our local sponsor:

Jayme the Bug Chef

Chef Jayme from the Audubon Insectarium

in New Orleans explains what's on the menu.

"Buzz in" to the Museum of Discovery see him

Saturday 9/18/10 9am-5pm and Sunday 9/19/10 1-5pm!

Jayme and his culinary creations are part of the exhibit (and included in your museum admission)

Thanks to our local sponsor

Meet Harry!

Hi! I’m Harry, a Chinese praying mantis from Memphis, Tenn. I’m really pumped, because Terminix is bringing my friends and me to the Museum of Discovery. We’ll roll into town on Saturday, Sept. 18, and we’ll be there for almost four months, hanging out with visitors from Little Rock and around the country. I can’t wait to see the museum and see all of the other exhibits, but I’m most looking forward to making new friends!

I’ll even be bringing my own exhibit with me. It’s called Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! It’s a fun, interactive exhibit that will give you a bug’s eye view of the world. Every weekend, you’ll even get a chance to touch bugs at our insect petting zoo and taste bugs that are prepared by our renowned bug chef.

A praying mantis like myself likes to travel incognito, and sometimes I hide so I can blend in with the scenery. But if you’re at the museum I promise to come out and play, so stop by and say “hi” sometime after the 18th.

If you’d like to find out what I’m doing during my stay in Little Rock, visit my blog. I check in there every couple of weeks to let my friends know what’s going on in my life, and I’ll be back on there regularly after I complete my move to Little Rock, so check it out!

ABOUT HARRY:
Harry is a Chinese Praying Mantis who hails from Memphis, Tennessee, although his ancestors are Chinese. He likes eating, traveling, eating, hanging out with friends and sometimes, eating. He turns up his nose at opera, rampaging rhinos and an annoying little fish named Coy Koi. Harry is a Southern-fried fanatic and loves to eat anything fit for The King (Elvis, that is) like jelly donuts, biscuits, bacon, grits, gravy, Gus’s Fried Chicken, Soul Burgers, sausage, ice cream, pancakes and deep-fried Twinkies. His biggest dream is to visit every single state in America and blog about it. You can read more about Harry (and his friends) here.

The Mane Point-The Science & Art of the Beard - Part 3 of 3

Editor's Note:  "MOD Voices" guest blogger Ryan Byrd wraps up his campaign to teach science through a humorous approach. 

COIF CARRIER: Whether you’re facing fear-inducing grizzly bears in the forest or marching with the penguins in Antarctica, you simply have to carry supplies. Let’s say you’re an ornithologist—a scientist who studies birds. You’ll probably need binoculars, a pen and paper for notes and some nets for collecting a few birds. Likewise, if you were a glaciologist—a scientists who studies glaciers—in Antarctica, you’d need varying supplies as well such as an ice pick, a compass and a pick axe for collecting ice specimens.

Naturally, you could carry it all in a backpack or wear cargo pants or flash back to 1994 and wear a fanny pack. All these things sound perfectly logical…to a clean-shaven man.

But you, the bearded wonder, knows better. Why weigh yourself down with unnatural bags and cloth compartments when you have a perfectly groomed and full beard swaying from your animal-like jowls? You see, if nothing else, a fully-developed beard can serve as the perfect tote for all the necessary supplies needed to navigate life.

More than storage, though, you never know what you’re going to find in a beard. Reach in. What’s that? A piece of this morning’s doughnut? That one sock you couldn’t find? A copy of your 3rd grade report card? That love note little Susie Joyner gave you on the playground last week? You never know. Beard: 3 – Cargo Pants: 0.

So there you have it. If there were ever 3 good reasons to grow a beard someday, these are it. So, give it a try. You never know when you might meet Mr. Grizzly, crash land in Antarctica or need to carry your bird watching supplies around.

About Ryan Byrd:
When Ryan Byrd isn't spending time manscaping his facial coiffure, you can find him enjoying his beautiful wife, Christen, and 3 children: Lucy, 3; Olive, 20 months and Max, 2 months. To pay the bills, he works as Advertising Art Director at Arkansas Business Publishing Group. To keep his sanity, he's the lead guy at Eikon Church. Follow his nonsensical ramblings at http://www.beingryanbyrd.com/

The Mane Point-The Science & Art of the Beard - Part 2 of 3

Editor's Note: "MOD Voices" guest blogger Ryan Byrd continues.  Remember, look for science learning along the way!

HOLDING ON FUR LIFE: Now you're trekking across the continent of Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth, with an average temperature of -58°F. One problem: your plane to the Bahamas got lost and you and your suitcase full of Bermuda shorts and tank tops ended up landing on the southernmost place in the world, where 1-mile deep ice covers 98% of the continent.

You and your pilot set off to find any other signs of life. Shivering and staggering across the icy surface, the only signs of life you spot is the occasional Emperor penguin and fur seal, because only cold-adapted animals are able to survive. Losing hope, the elements begin to take their toll.

In a cold climate, the threat of hypothermia—a condition in which one’s core temperature drops below 95°F—is at the forefront.

Engage survival of the fittest.

Never fear, friends! You’ve got a beautiful coat of chin-fur to wrap your shivering body in. Your clean-shaven pilot friend has little to cling to other than hope. Beard: 2 – Antarctica: 0.

Stay tuned for Reason #3!

About Ryan Byrd:
When Ryan Byrd isn't spending time manscaping his facial coiffure, you can find him enjoying his beautiful wife, Christen, and 3 children: Lucy, 3; Olive, 20 months and Max, 2 months. To pay the bills, he works as Advertising Art Director at Arkansas Business Publishing Group. To keep his sanity, he's the lead guy at Eikon Church. Follow his nonsensical ramblings at http://www.beingryanbyrd.com/

The Mane Point: The Science & Art of the Beard- Part 1 of 3

Editor's Note: "MOD Voices" guest blogger Ryan Byrd presents reason #1 for having a beard.  Pay attention for science learning along the way!

BEAR NECESSITY: Say you're strolling through the forest. You're enjoying the majesty of nature, basking in the peaceful tranquility of the great outdoors.

Suddenly, you feel the warm breath of a towering grizzly bear on the back of your neck. Grizzly bears—also known as silvertip bears—are considered to be the most aggressive species of bears. They’re primarily found in the western part of North America and can weigh as much as 1,500 lbs and stand as tall as nearly 8 ft when on their hind legs.

Grizzly bears are omnivores, primarily eating berries and plants, but suddenly, to Mr. Bear, you look pretty tasty. What do you do?
First, you're going to want to pause to thank your beard. Why? Because you turn sharply, swinging around your flowing man-mane. As the bear spots it, he pauses and with a whimper of defeat, slugs away, realizing that he could never defeat what he can only reasonably determine must be a Sasquatch. Beard: 1 – Bear: 0.

Stay tuned for Reason #2 tomorrow!

About Ryan Byrd:
When Ryan Byrd isn't spending time manscaping his facial coiffure, you can find him enjoying his beautiful wife, Christen, and 3 children: Lucy, 3; Olive, 20 months and Max, 2 months. To pay the bills, he works as Advertising Art Director at Arkansas Business Publishing Group. To keep his sanity, he's the lead guy at Eikon Church. Follow his nonsensical ramblings at http://www.beingryanbyrd.com/

The Mane Point: The Science & Art of the Beard-Intro

Editor's Note: "MOD Voices" welcomes guest blogger Ryan Byrd who presents his reasons for having a beard.  We appreciate his humorous approach to "informal learning" of science!

Hi, I’m Ryan. I’d like to share a little with you today about the southern portion of my face. "Why write a blog post about that?" you might ask. Well, it’s simple really. Hanging proudly from my face is an ever-growing, breathing mass of furry tender loving care. What is it? A beard, of course.

For the last several years, the skin on the southern hemisphere—bottom half—of my face hasn’t seen the sunlight, as a carefully crafted beard has adorned it. Of course, it hasn’t been there my entire life. A long time ago in a magical land of pre-adolescence, I eagerly anticipated the day I could grow facial hair. Sure enough, when the testosterone—the hormone that makes your facial hair grow—kicked in, I was able to groom the bottom half of my face just like the top half. It was monumental day and I haven’t since looked back.

So, I thought I’d share with you 3 good reasons to grow a beard. I think you’ll be turned into a believer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Stay tuned this week for Ryan's THREE REASONS TO GROW A BEARD.

About Ryan Byrd:
When Ryan Byrd isn't spending time manscaping his facial coiffure, you can find him enjoying his beautiful wife, Christen, and 3 children: Lucy, 3; Olive, 20 months and Max, 2 months. To pay the bills, he works as Advertising Art Director at Arkansas Business Publishing Group. To keep his sanity, he's the lead guy at Eikon Church. Follow his nonsensical ramblings at http://www.beingryanbyrd.com./

Adventures in Room To Grow

Editor's note: The Museum of Discovery is proud to kick off our "MOD Voices" guest blogger series!  First up is our good friend Savannah Butler. 

My kids love a good adventure. They’ve never been to Disney World, they’ve never ridden a rollercoaster, but my kids know an adventure when they see one. And stepping into the Museum of Discovery’s "Room to Grow," each one of them spotted an adventure.

Immediately my six year old Boy was transfixed by the sleeping dragon at the gate. He jumped, he flailed, he stood “soldier still,” all in hopes that he could figure the thing out. My 19 month old Baby headed straight to the Under 4 farm area. She delighted herself screaming “MOOOO!” at the big cow.

When my almost-4 year old princess-in-training Girl saw the castle theater, it was a drama queen dream come true! It took some poking and prodding, but we finally managed to move our kids past the first two activities in Room to Grow. The Boy scaled the rock wall while his sisters cheered him on. He read plaques about health in the Fitness Forrest to the Girl, who then tried her balance on a balance beam.

My husband and I knew we were doomed once the two big kids spotted the pirate ship and lighthouse. “There goes another two hours,” my husband quipped. My Boy must have raced up and down the lighthouse stairs ten times (which in itself is a feat!) before he joined his sister as they became co-captains of the ship.

We only lost the Baby once (she has a fearless tendency to walk away… she’s an explorer), and it turned out that she was around the corner in the Construction Zone, working her fine motor skills on some magnetic letters. As much as we tried to convince our kids that there was SO MUCH MORE TO SEE, they were more than content to stay in the Room to Grow.

When we finally managed to pry them away, we headed to the Alice’s Wonderland exhibit. It was an amazing area, full of the science of Wonderland.

Our Baby marveled in the shrinking hall. The Girl was surprised at the mirrors that made it look like you were above- or below-ground. The Boy even walked away with a new favorite vocabulary word: parabola.

Once again we promised the kids that WE COULD SEE MORE THINGS! and just in time, we caught the Big Electric Show. It was certainly a hair-raising experience for us all. My husband was brave enough to hold a fluorescent bulb close to a Tesla coil. Both the Boy and the Girl put their hands on The Van de Graaff generator as we all watched their hair spring to life!

look carefully...you can see his hair standing up!

We never even made it downstairs. After almost four hours, we left the Museum and headed back across the river, promising the kids- and ourselves- that we would return soon to finish the tour. Though, I’m afraid when we go back they will take up their positions at the helm of the pirate ship and refuse to ever leave again!

=================

Savannah Butler is a wife and stay-at-home mother to three darling and extremely pleasant young children. She loves giving her kids opportunities to explore and discover the world around them. She occasionally escapes from beneath the laundry pile long enough to pose as Conway Community Editor for Little Rock Family magazine. Savannah likes babies, popcorn, and napping. She writes about her family’s big and small adventures on her personal blog.



* Editor’s note: The Museum of Discovery gave the author complimentary admission for her family’s visit.

We're about to be invaded...

From September 18 through January 9, 2011, the Museum of Discovery hosts Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! presented by Terminix.

The exhibit is great for ALL ages, even adults! 

Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! is "hosted" by Harry, a Chinese praying mantis, and his insect friends. It features live bugs, video, audio, games and more.

You'll get to explore freestanding habitats like a cropland, forest, meadow, swamp and even a house to see how insects and arthropods impact their surroundings, the environment and ultimately human lives.

Every Saturday and Sunday of the exhibit, we will have special programming which includes a live insect petting zoo, cricket spitting competitions, roach races and a bug chef making tummy-tickling treats with bugs as the main ingredients.

What do you think about bugs?