Museum turns science into child's play

May 28, 1996
Web posted at: 5:15 p.m EDT

From Correspondent Stephanie Oswald

PARIS (CNN) -- Welcome to Science City, where children in hard hats dash around pushing wheelbarrows. (1.1M QuickTime movie)

They're having fun with -- of all things -- science.

The City of Science and Industry in Paris is a hands-on museum that makes science exciting for youngsters of all ages, even adults.

The museum incorporates complicated subjects such as physics, geometry and mechanical engineering into simple exhibits.

It's fit for everyone -- even a couch potato.

"One learns science while playing, resting and thinking. It's not something horrible but something enjoyable," explains Jacques Blanc, co-director general of the museum.

Children can attempt difficult auto repairs or unlock the mysteries of nature. In all, about 500,000 youngsters visit the museum every year, but their exhibits are only a small part of the world's largest and most visited science museums.

The museum also houses an aquarium, a planetarium, a submarine, a high-tech theater and other French technology and industry exhibits. The Explora is a favorite site. There, visitors can pilot an airplane, step inside a camera or travel through the human body.

"It's a place for exploring, discovering or using the imagination," said Real Jantzen, the museum's youth and information director. "You can leave yourself and discover the world. That's the true message for children at Science City -- to go and discover the world of others."

Related sites:

• City of Science and Industry
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie