Invention at Playnew exhibit at the NY Hall of Science
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Feb 16 - May 11
http://www.nyscience.org/pressroom/article/inventionatplayWhat kinds of toys did inventors play with as children? Is the quality and quantity of children’s play changing? How do new technologies affect children at play? What’s the connection between the things you played with as a child and your creativity today? These and other questions are explored in Invention at Play, an interactive traveling exhibition developed by the Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, in partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota.
By working with a large magnet wall and kitchen utensils, creating block towers on a wobbly surface and devising wind-powered devices and tessellation patterns, visitors of all ages will have opportunities to engage in four distinct types of play that foster inventive thinking.
Through photos and stories, visitors will learn about inventors and innovators who have used playful and creative techniques in their work including: Stephanie Kwolek, the chemist who invented Kevlar (a strong and lightweight substance used in bullet-proof vests and cable, among other things); Newman Darby, inventor of the sailboard, and Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone.
Visitors will also be encouraged to reflect upon questions and debates in the history and future of play. Experimental playthings and historic and contemporary toys and games will allow visitors to explore the connection between the objects visitors played with as children and their creativity today.
