Brooklyn Children's Museum
From Top: Neon Helix People Tube; The Giant Wind Machine; Inflatable Air Lift
All photos © Donald Dietz
A pioneering example of hands-on learning and collaborative play.
The Learning Environment at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is an informal laboratory of participatory exhibits where children discover relationships between themselves and the natural world. Completed in 1977, The Learning Environment was one of the first “hands-on” exhibits in the country and the award-winning installation set a standard of excellence that endures today.
ESI based the design for The Learning Environment on the logic of the physical world. The exhibit is divided into four sections that parallel the classical division of nature: earth, air, fire and water. Within these four areas are 18 interactive science elements that inspire children to ask questions and discover answers through exploration and play. For example, kids activate a Giant Wind Machine to create tunes on musical pipes or to run a windmill that powers a water pump. In the Neon Helix People Tube, water and light demonstrate how wavelengths of light can be visualized as different colors. Visitors walk through the tube and the arcs of light change colors, blending from one red arc to two orange arcs, from three green arcs to four blue, and so on.
ESI designed The Learning Environment to change over time based on children’s activities. It is a place where real learning occurs – a place where children are encouraged to make connections for themselves.
Visit the client's website at brooklynkids.org