The Merced Irrigation District and the Kids Discovery Station has partnered to provide free admission to the Station, and a brand-new exhibit sponsored by MID.
A crowd of children and parents gathered around the shrouded exhibit to witness its recent unveiling, following a social media campaign allowing followers to attempt to guess the new exhibit’s contents.
The Kids Discovery Station is an educational center for children located off of Yosemite Ave in Merced. The idea for the project began in 2018 with temporary education exhibitions located at the Multicultural Arts Center and Merced Library. It has since developed into a non-profit run by two UC professors, Mayya Tokman and Angelo Kyrilov. In the over a year and a half they have been open, the Kids Discovery Station has had more than 30,000 guests pass through their doors.
They offer a series of exhibits with themes ranging from agriculture to healthcare. Children can take photos of themselves in different environments using costumes and a greenscreen, or learn about the properties of water and its movement using an augmented reality sandbox. They host field trips, birthday parties, and summer programs for students. At first glance it may appear to be all fun and games, but the exhibits provided are in-line with educational standards and designed to be effective and engaging tools.
“Kids are playing and learning at the same time,” said Tokman. “So they don’t know they’re learning, which is the best way to teach them anything.”
The Kids Discovery Station is funded through an annual fundraiser as well as partnership with local businesses. MID is the most recent of these partnerships.
MID sponsored multiple attractions available for guests. A poster contest was available, with tickets to Splash and Dash for the winner. A demonstration of solar cars with a racetrack was set outside to teach children about solar power, and plasma balls inside where students could control electricity with their hands. The highlight of the day, however, was the mystery exhibit, designed by Co-Executive Director Kyrilov.
This was MID’s first time partnering with the Kids Discovery Station, and was suited to both entities’ missions.
“It was a really good fit. Obviously we’re involved in water and power,” said Mike Jensen from MID, gesturing toward the new exhibit. “This time of year we’re always trying to get information about energy savings out, and we’re trying to get information about water canal safety, so having an MID sponsored day along with the exhibit all packaged together at the end of May was a really good thing for everybody.”
When the time came to unveil the new exhibit and the sheet was pulled back, it revealed a stationary bicycle. But this was no ordinary piece of equipment — the bicycle was attached to a small dark box, a fan, and a small heater. By riding the bicycle, children could flip a series of switches to activate the different devices. Gauges measuring the voltage and amperage showed children how using the different devices changed the demand for power. Immediately after unveiling, children lined up to try the new exhibit.
The event was a success. Children immediately were intrigued by the exhibit, and were asking questions to understand how it worked. The event was an opportunity to watch learning take place in real-time. The Kids Discovery Station has continued plans for expansion, and both MID and the Kids Discovery Station will be hosting science and nature themed programs available for children this summer, allowing learning to take place all year.