Discovery World facts for kids
Discovery World is a cool science and technology museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's a place where you can explore and learn about science, technology, and freshwater in a super fun, hands-on way!
Contents
History
Discovery World was started by Robert Powrie Harland, Sr. It was first called the Science, Economics and Technology Center. Plans for the museum were first talked about in 1981. The museum began in the Milwaukee Public Library. It had lots of hands-on exhibits, computer games, and science shows.
Exhibits
Discovery World has many interactive exhibits. These cover science, technology, and freshwater topics. The museum is huge, with 140,000 square feet of space! Here are some of the awesome exhibits you can find:
Great Lakes Future
This exhibit has a giant model of the entire Great Lakes watershed. It helps you understand freshwater issues. You can learn how humans affect water and how to protect it. A cool part is that you can press a button to make "rain" fall! You'll see how water flows and how pollution moves through the area.
Around the exhibit, there are tanks with different animals. You can see turtles like the Northern Spiny Softshell and Blanding's Turtle. There are also fish like Pumpkinseed and Bluegill. You might even spot some ancient animal skulls from the Ice Age!
Reiman Aquarium
The Reiman Aquarium is the biggest aquarium in Wisconsin! It's on the lower level of Discovery World. The tanks here show off many different water homes. You can see animals from Lake Michigan, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and the Caribbean Sea.
A highlight is the 75,000-gallon Lake Michigan Tank. It's home to Lake Sturgeon and other fish from the Great Lakes. The 65,000-gallon Caribbean Tunnel Tank is very colorful. You can walk through it like a tunnel! This tank has cool fish like Hogfish, Triggerfish, and even Bamboo Sharks.
Touch Tanks
At the touch tanks, you can get up close with amazing water creatures. There's a cold freshwater tank with young Lake Sturgeon. A warmer saltwater tank lets you touch Atlantic Stingray and Cortez Round Stingray. You can also find Slipper Lobsters in another tank!
Les Paul’s House of Sound
This exhibit celebrates the famous musician and inventor, Les Paul. It shows his early life and his journey to becoming a star. You can see his Grammy Awards and the first Gibson guitar he made. You'll also see his special "Klunker" guitar.
City of Freshwater & Liquid House
This exhibit teaches you about the water you use at home. It shows how this water goes back into Lake Michigan. You can learn about how Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District cleans water. It also explains Milwaukee’s Deep Tunnel project. This project helps keep wastewater out of Lake Michigan.
Automation Everywhere
This exhibit focuses on cool topics like artificial intelligence, mechanics, and engineering. The Dream Machine lets you design products. You can watch a custom-built automated factory in action. You can even learn about modern engineering trends. Visitors can also control the retractable domes of Miller Park and the Milwaukee Art Museum!
Other Exhibits
Discovery World has even more to explore! These include The Challenge, which is an 88-foot replica of a 19th-century ship. You can also find Simple Machine Shipyard, Driving and Flight Simulators, and Physics and You. There's also The Innovation Station and Virtual Explorer.
Experiences
Discovery World offers special experiences too:
- Kohl’s Design It! Lab is a creative space open on weekends. You can do lots of hands-on projects here, no matter your age.
- Virtual Explorer lets you dive into virtual reality. You can play immersive games and explore impossible worlds.
- Wind Leaves are cool sculptures outside Discovery World. They are tall "leaves" covered in shiny steel disks. They reflect the world around them and move with the wind. You can even spin them yourself!
Labs and studios
Discovery World has ten special learning spaces. These labs offer hands-on activities for everyone. School groups and campers can learn about creativity, science, technology, and freshwater. They focus a lot on the Great Lakes.
- STEM Lab (PPG) – This lab is great for exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). You can learn about everything from tiny cells to chemistry and circuits.
- Design It! Lab (Kohl’s) – This is a space for making things. You can explore architecture, engineering, and design through fun projects. It's open on weekends for guests.
- Automation Lab (Rockwell Automation) – Here, you can learn about circuits, robots, and computer coding. You'll understand the technology behind automation.
- SPARK Lab – This is a flexible room for exploring topics from other learning spaces.
- Curiosity Works Lab (Brady) – This space helps you explore and express yourself. You can learn about color and design. You can also try out printing technology.
- Tech Lab – This lab supports digital arts. You can learn about photography, making videos, and designing video games.
- The Studio – This is a multi-use production space. It has a special green screen wall and professional lighting.
- Health Sciences Lab (Advocate Aurora Research Institute) – This is a hands-on space. You can learn about anatomy, dissections, and tiny living things called micro-organisms.
- THIRST Lab (MillerCoors) - This lab explores how water is used in the products we use and consume. You can learn about senses and how products like perfumes and soaps are made.
- Freshwater Sustainability Lab (Fund for Lake Michigan) – This lab focuses on Lake Michigan and freshwater. You can learn about water quality, invasive species, and freshwater organisms.
Images for kids
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An 88-foot replica of the Challenge, a mid-1800s Great Lakes freight schooner.
