Science / Medicine : Science Carnival Offers 45 Exhibits
Children and their families can experience the joy of discovery in more than 45 interactive science exhibits at the newly opened Science Carnival and Maze at the Discovery Pavilion in Universal City.
The Science Carnival is a traveling science center developed by the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, in association with the National Science Foundation.
Children can learn about the principles of momentum, air pressure, sound waves and muscle coordination in the main tent housing a “science playground,” or explore the principles of light, optics and color in another area of the exhibit.
A highlight of the Discovery Pavilion is a giant walk-through maze, covering 2,300 square feet with walls seven feet high, which illustrates the role of problem-solving in math and science.
School tours, teacher workshops and classes and special events for children are planned throughout the Science Carnival, which closes March 29. Call (818) 752-2250.
HEALTH / MEDICINE
Legal, ethical and medical issues concerning senior citizens and their families will be examined in a seminar series, “Preparing for Tomorrow’s Healthcare Decisions Today,” presented at the Daniel Freeman hospitals in Inglewood and Marina del Rey beginning Friday. Preregistration is required. Call (800) 356-2824.
BOTANY
Informative displays and exhibits from various environmental organizations will illustrate how trees grow, the relationship of soil structure, water and oxygen and the beneficial aspects of trees in “What Do We Get From Trees?” at the South Coast Botanic Garden on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. Call (310) 544-6815.
SCIENCE FOR FAMILIES
Children can learn from naturalist Peter Rice about how plants turn sun, soil and water into food and how bacteria and insects turn plant and animal matter into nutrients in “Whales Tales: Nature Cycles,” at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County on Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. Call (213) 744-3534.
The Westside Arts Center, on the lower level of Santa Monica Pier, will offer children ages 6-12 a chance to travel through time and space, discover worlds of the ice ages and design a time machine and a space ship in “Time Travel Week,” Jan. 13-19. Preregistration is required. Call (310) 395-1443.
Families can join members of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on two excursions to view wintering monarch butterflies on Jan. 24 and 25. Registration deadline is Jan. 15. For information call (805) 682-4711.
ORNITHOLOGY
The habitats of Costa Rica, from lowland forest to subalpine, which support more than 800 species of birds and animals, will be the subject of the Los Angeles Audubon Society meeting on Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park. Call (213) 876-0202.
