Where do I start with this one, Animals Inside Out … perhaps preconceived ideas v reality would be a good starting point!
When we first heard about the new exhibit at Life, the Newcastle Science Center I have to admit I was little grossed out, the thought of seeing the insides of animals turned my stomach (no pun intended!) but there was also that morbid fascination of wanting to see how everything is put together and what ‘makes’ us work.
Because of the nature of the exhibit there is a recommended minimum age of 8 but this is entirely up to parents to decide whether it is suitable for their children. We had 4 of ours with us, ages 17, 13, 6 and 2. Amelia obviously was too little to understand and I was worried it might upset Evie, she did say she thought it would be ‘gross’ when we were on our way there but once inside she was completely fascinated!
You start the tour with an explanation of plastination.
Thanks to the science of plastination, invented by Dr Gunther von Hagens, each animal has been painstakingly preserved allowing visitors to see what lies beneath nature’s skin in intricate detail.
This is such amazing display of over 100 animals, including nervous, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems. The sheer size of some of the animals is beyond imagination and to be up that close to a bear, elephant and giraffe shows the immense complexity such a project and exhibit involved.
Evie loved seeing the skeletons and how animals ‘fit’ their bodies, especially the snail and how it curled around the shell! (I didn’t even know it did that!)
Daddy and the older boys were in awe at the intricacy of how bodies work and how intricate the nervous systems and capillaries are.
We were all gobsmacked at the size of the elephant and giraffe, none of the displays were ‘gross’ or icky and if anything it provoked questions more than anything. As you can see from the photographs below the whole exhibit is very tasteful and educational.
The children are now on a mission to see these animals in real life and we will most definitely be back to the Life center to see this exhibit again before it leaves in January.
There is of course lots more to do inside the Life Center and while the boys went onto the 4D ride (which they proclaimed to be one of the best ones they have been on!) we played in the learning zone which is full of interesting things for little ones to do. Amelia and Evie loved using the DNA-like blocks to create displays and Amelia gave it all a very firm thumbs up!
Once daddy and Scott were out of the 4D ride we made floating jellyfish with satin cloths and popped to the cafe for something to eat. Having never eaten Quinoa I have to say the salad was amazing and has definitely made me a fan! Bonus!
We were invited along to a blogger afternoon with no obligation to write about the exhibit or our visit.
XOXO
Debbie
After reading this I am even more excited…We are going sometime next week! It looks amazing and sounds like you had a great time!
I’ve seen an exhibition like this in Vegas called Bodies but the bodies were human. It was interesting but a little gory!
I must admit, I would have been a bit grossed out at the thought of seeing the inside of animals. However, nothing looks or sounds gross at all! It actually sounds very interesting. The 4D ride sounds fun and the learning centre looks great! My children would really enjoy visiting one day, when we’re in the area 🙂
[…] have already been to Life in Newcastle, twice this year but really want to go back and see some of the exciting exhibits they have later […]