Wild About Plants is a botanical adventure that engages children and families in an explorations of plants that are a part of everyday life. Wild about Plants lets families touch, smell, magnify, build, rebuild, watch, and listen to plants—uncovering what they do for people and what people can do for them.

Visitors are invited to explore the home of a fictional character, science enthusiast Flora Wild. In her kitchen, children answer the question “What’s for dinner?” by transforming raw plants into finished meals. Ms. Wild’s pantry includes a wide range of plants used to make medicines, toiletries, and first-aid products, while her workroom reveals how plants become household items. In the living room, visitors can watch videos in which her neighbors talk about their plant-related hobbies.

In the “outdoor” garden, families learn about the complex relationships between urban organisms, plants, and animals. An “empathy tree” invites families to listen to children talk about what it would be like to be a tree and share their memories of plants. Kids see the underground root system of trees and then an aerial view of plants in the city. Together, as part of a game, families plan a plant-friendly city. A puppet theater invites them to put on a play to explore how we are all part of a community of living things. Plant Discovery Modules provide a place for hands-on experiences with plants and people.

Click here to explore Wild About Plants!

 

AVAILABILITY

Please address inquiries about availability and bookings to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

GALLERY REQUIREMENTS

800 square feet, 9'0" ceiling height, eight 110-volt outlets, live plants (optional, requires additional 200 square feet of exhibition space; plants require weekly care and supplemental lighting)

INSTALLATION

Exhibition will be delivered five working days prior to opening. Schedule assumes Saturday openings, with Sunday as last day open. Installation assumes three or four working days for installation crew of four people, plus one day for shakedown and training. There will be seven to nine working days between closing date and delivery to next venue.

SUPPORT MATERIALS

A Wild About Plants website offers further information on the traveling exhibition. Sections include program and display ideas from past venues, component descriptions and images, resources for teachers, educational activities, and "getting ready" information for future hosts. The website was developed by Brooklyn Children's Museum in collaboration with the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), with support from the National Science Foundation and the Nathan Cummings Foundation

 

 

Major funding for Wild About Plants was provided by the National Science Foundation. The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.