Pacific Science Center Debuts New Bilingual ‘Brainy Bodies’ Exhibit

Watching my daughter grow, from being a newborn to now a preschooler, has given me a new appreciation for the way that our brains and bodies work together. Through every milestone, I have loved digging into the research to better understand processes like crawling, walking, regulating emotions and building memories. When Pacific Science Center (PacSci) debuted its “Brainy Bodies” exhibit, I knew I had to go and bring my daughter along with me. We love any opportunity for STEM learning, and PacSci is filled to the brim with them, starting with this ongoing interactive exhibit.

The ‘Brainy Bodies’ exhibit

The large, pink brain above the “Brainy Bodies” exhibit is hard to miss when you walk through Building 2. It hangs over a circular display, and you can walk in and look up at the intricate design. The panels inside describe the brain as the control center, and explain how it connects to the nervous system, muscular system and sensory system. The exhibit is presented in both English and Spanish.

I knew there would be text-heavy elements I’d have to read to my preschooler. But what’s incredible about PacSci is the interactive elements that help younger kids understand what their parents are explaining. (After all, they can learn so much through play!)

Each station in the exhibit pairs a detailed explanation with an experience for visitors. While it’s one thing to explain to kids that bones and muscles work together, for example, it’s another thing to see it in action. Along one side of the exhibit, a camera captures visitors as they walk and projects the footage onto the wall with an overlay of skeletal and muscular systems. My family loved walking and dancing in front of the camera to see their skeletons move too, and it made it easier to visualize how muscles and bones work in pairs.

Nearby, a stationary bicycle connected to an inflatable tube person represents the brain-body feedback cycle. You choose what to power and as you pedal, the person inflates. You can also spin a wheel to get it moving. My daughter watched with joy as it waved its arms around like it was celebrating an end-of-year sale at a car dealership.

The ball launch, with multiple movement stations around a huge funnel, was another popular, hands-on attraction. You could jump, spin a wheel or complete other actions to build enough air pressure to launch a ball toward the ceiling. Kids can experiment with how much pressure is needed to get the ball into the funnel, and they gain a better understanding of how the same task can be accomplished in different ways.

The sound station explains how your brain will favor some noises (like your name) over others (like background noise) when it hears many sounds at once. As someone who lives in a house that often has many different sounds going at once, I can confirm — who else stops everything when they hear a familiar “Mom!”?

To better understand brain chemistry, we navigated neurotransmitters on a giant screen. We also saw museum-goers trying out telekinesis in the station nearby, and my daughter played with shifting colors in the nervous system display (if you remember the great “blue and black dress” debate of 2015, this may give you flashbacks).

After we had explored all of the “Brainy Bodies” exhibit, we headed to the nearby Sensory Lounge. The relaxing environment provided a break from all the stimulation of the “Brainy Bodies” exhibit. My daughter loved the lit-up pegboards and comfortable lounge furniture.

Upstairs, we checked out the “Science for Everyone” exhibit, where we found an inspiring set of sculptures featuring women in STEM, and saw our shadows in technicolor on the wall.

Hands-on STEM learning at PacSci

While all the exhibits at PacSci were engaging, we spent the most time in the Tinker Tank Makerspace. This space had many opportunities for hands-on learning, creating and — as the name suggests — tinkering.

We were greeted by a weaving display with scraps of fabric to add to the loom, and I loved seeing which colors and textures my daughter gravitated toward. From there, we built structures with Legos. While the challenge of the day was to build a moose, mountain or mug, our designs veered more toward tall towers and unidentifiable objects. My daughter loved grabbing Legos from the moving conveyor belt (reminiscent of our favorite sushi restaurants).

There was also the Rigamajig building space where other kids and parents had constructed large animal-shaped structures and elaborate floor plans. The 3D print lab invited kids and their grown-ups alike to touch different objects and watch the 3D printers in action.

More hands-on activities awaited at the “Physics Playground,” where my husband and daughter lifted hundreds of pounds with a giant lever. We also used pulleys in different ways, experimented with funhouse mirrors, and lifted a giant bar in soapy water to create a bubble wall.

In the “Tech Experience Lab,” we experimented with mixed reality. By stepping in front of a screen, we were turned into a family of colorful, expressive bugs. My daughter flapped her arms and giggled as her bug counterpart did the same.

With a deeper understanding of physics, we moved onto the inviting “Adventures With Sound” exhibit. Here, we found 13 different hands-on activities, including a laser harp and 10-foot xylophone. My daughter was drawn to the gigantic guitar, where she climbed inside to pluck strings and hear the sounds and feel the vibrations.

More exhibits at PacSci

Of course, no visit to PacSci is complete without a trip to see the dinosaurs in Building 1. My daughter stared up in awe at the Tyrannosaurus rex looming overhead and stepped closer to examine the dinosaur skulls below. We turned the corner to life-size dinosaur replicas, including a Triceratops and Allosaurus. Plus, to my daughter’s delight, there was dinosaur coprolite (yep, that’s fossilized poop).

Once through the Mesozoic era, we traveled to outer space. My daughter was drawn to the “Space Garden,” a display showing how astronauts can grow food without sunlight or gravity. We also saw atmospheric changes here on Earth projected onto a 6-foot globe and learned more about deep space.

Beyond the space exhibit, my daughter was drawn to a sand table that invited her to make a watershed, changing colors as the piles of sand got higher.

Nearby, she traveled through the incredible “Between Baleen” display of dangling ropes and recycled materials. The immersive installation invites visitors to imagine they’ve been swallowed by a whale and are traveling through the baleen in its mouth.

The Just for Tots section was designed with kids my daughter’s age (and younger) in mind. The water play section invited her to build a dam, spray enclosed water cannons, and build plastic structures. The nearby Saltwater Tide Pool was closed during our visit, but when it’s open it offers the chance to touch local marine creatures and see how they interact in tide pools.

In the “Mind's Eye” exhibit, our sense of perception was challenged by the “Impossible Triangle,” which shapeshifted as we drew closer. My daughter reached out to touch a gem that wasn’t there, and we tested our 3D vision.

In the Tropical Butterfly House, we spotted different butterflies and moths enjoying fresh fruit and the balmy air. Several butterflies had just emerged from their chrysalises during our visit, and we watched through a display window as they let their wings dry and expand. (I learned something fun, too: Did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope?)

Outside, we learned more about pollinators and native plants on the Pollinator Path. The North Pools in the courtyard are currently closed due to leaks, but we loved spotting the huge dinosaur statues and admiring the architecture. There is also an outdoor picnic area, if you want to brave the weather or if you visit on a sunny day.

Pacific Science Center Laser Dome and IMAX shows

General admission to Pacific Science Center includes unlimited planetarium and daytime Laser Dome shows, but timed-ticket entry tickets are required. In the planetarium, you can take a tour of the solar system, learn more about space exploration and interact with the sky in shows that range from 15 to 40 minutes.

Laser Dome shows combine music and incredible visuals for a unique experience. Daytime shows are 30 minutes. Evening laser shows, which last 50–60 minutes, are an additional cost.

You can catch live science shows in Building 1, just before the dinosaur exhibit.

Pacific Science Center also has two IMAX Theaters: Boeing and PACCAR. They play everything from nature documentaries to blockbuster films. Tickets to the IMAX theaters must be purchased separately. (PacSci general admission tickets are not required to IMAX documentaries or feature films.) You can see what’s playing and purchase tickets online.