Science Center’s Magnetic Force

Bobby Rauch may not understand the finer points of electronic circuitry, but the 2-year-old knows what a screwdriver is for.

The little boy was trying out the Exploration Station, one of many interactive exhibits at the much-anticipated Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. The museum opened to the public Saturday.

At the Exploration Station, visitors are invited to take apart broken telephones, fax machines, computers and other machinery, all donated for the exhibit. But Bobby had other plans. He pointed the tool straight at the tiny screws holding the display stands together. His mother tried to distract him.

“Look, Bobby, look at all the telephones you are allowed to touch in this place,” said Renee Rauch.

“When you have a 2 1/2-year-old, you have to look for places like this,” said Bobby’s father, Mitchell. The family drove down from Westwood in Los Angeles to catch the opening day of the science center.

“He’s having a great time,” Rauch said. “This is extremely kid-friendly.”

The 59,000-square-foot science wonderland, a Sir Isaac Newton-meets-Walt Disney playground for the mind, was expected to draw nearly 1,000 visitors Saturday. Parking was plentiful and except for brief lines at the ticket booths early in the day, few had to wait more than a few minutes to touch the museum’s 100 or so interactive exhibits.

Among the exhibits were a bed of nails, a flight simulator and a wall with 130,000 plastic pins modeled after a popular children’s toy that takes phantom impressions of hands and small objects. Kids--and even some adults--were delighting themselves by making imprints of faces and even their bodies.

Pam Shambra, the center’s vice president of marketing, said the museum is still determining the optimum crowd density. The center’s capacity is 1,500, but it will limit attendance to 1,000 a day until officials determine they can or need to take more.

“We are still doing a little bit of learning,” Shambra said. “We just want to make sure people have a good time.”

The museum is booked for some days this week, but other days remain open, Shambra said. Reservations can be made by calling (714) 542-2823.

Orange County’s first interactive science museum, with an admission price of $6 to $8 for visitors 3 and up, is a welcome addition to parents in constant search of activities for their children, many said.

“It is very economical,” said Irma Castaneda of Santa Ana. “There are other places you can take them, like batting cages, but it all costs a lot of money, especially if you have four boys.”

Castaneda’s oldest, 8-year-old Vincent, took a break from hoisting himself in the pulley exhibit to reflect on what he learned from some of the displays.

“Earthquakes can do a lot of damage,” he said, referring to the museum’s Quake Zone, where visitors can ride an earthquake machine and watch the effects of seismic activities on model buildings.

His brother Michael, 5, liked the bed of nails. “It feels sticky,” he said.