What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1070576
LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette W hen, in the middle of the winter school break — when viable activities for your twin 8-year-olds are dwindling, along with your patience — you discover that Bentonville's 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art children's museum has two special exhibits, there is but one thing to do: Hie thee to the Scott Family Amazeum, forthwith! My favorite thing about the Amazeum — beyond its ability to entertain my children for hours — is that, in the midst of all of that entertainment, it's simultaneously educating them. The Amazeum's unique talent for "edutainment" is on full display with "Eat Well, Play Well" — which ends Jan. 20 — and "Magnificent Me" — through May 12. Both exhibits focus on the healthy habits that keep our bodies running smoothly. My kids, whose brains usually shut down at the first mention of the word "healthy," were entranced by the interactive kiosks that show — rather than tell — the benefits of eating right and staying fit. In "Eat Well, Play Well," you can sit down on a machine, plant your feet on the end, lean forward, and push a handle forward as far as you can to test your flexibility. The kids were "average," while their parents — who haven't exactly been yogi masters lately — were "below average." "Calories In, Calories Out" displays the varying calorie counts of foods and the stark contrast between sugary sweets and vegetables by demonstrating how long it takes to burn off one piece of candy when kids use the hand pedal to "exercise." Emphasizing the nutrients that the fruits and vegetables provide steers the conversation toward health instead of weight. Meanwhile, "Magnificent Me" is even showier: Because they're 8, the kids' favorite part was a machine that explains why flatulence occurs. Giggling in tandem, they hopped up and down on springy seats to help build up air for the demonstration. Other favorites were the sonogram machine — where they took a look at what twins like themselves look like in utero — and the machine that mirrors their images on a FEATURE 8 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 13-19, 2019 Amazeum teaches while it entertains NWA Democrat-Gazette / LARA JO HIGHTOWER A photo panel in the "Magnificent Me" exhibit at the Amazeum shows kids what their insides look like.