Kansas Families Can Visit Exploration Place for Free This Summer

WICHITA, Kansas — For the third year, Exploration Place is participating in the state’s Sunflower Summer program, which means Kansas families can visit for free.

Kansas families with kids in pre-K through 12th grade can download the Sunflower Summer app to receive free All-Access Passes for one visit funded through the Kansas state Department of Education to keep learning going over the summer. Sunflower Summer starts May 26 and runs through August 13. All-Access Passes include all permanent exhibits, live science shows, unlimited dome theater movies plus Exploration Place’s new summer exhibits, Circus! Science Under the Big Top and Pixel Palace.

Circus! Science Under the Big Top is open May 26 – Sept. 4. The exhibit showcases the science behind the spectacle, and visitors will learn the tricks of the sword swallower, uncover the illusion of the flea circus and discover the psychology of common circus sounds. Circus includes two harnessed attractions, which are first come, first served. The High Wire is a 9-foot-tall tightrope, and Elastic Acrobatics gives guests a taste of life as a trapeze artist through bungee cords and a trampoline.

Pixel Palace, open May 26 – Oct. 22, featured the advanced technology of motion sensors, touch screens and projection displays to create an immersive game room experiences.

Highlights include:
• Creature Creator: Color pictures of unicorns, dragons and fairies and then scan your artwork. Our software transforms your static image into a character in a fantasy world.
• Everbright: This wall – a modernized upgrade to the classic Lite-Brite design – consists of hundreds of dials that allow you to explore the full spectrum of color.
• Quantum Space: This motion-reactive wall teaches users about kinetic energy as they use their gestures and movements as brushstrokes to create a one-of-a-kind interactive gallery.

Visitors can also enjoy The Magic of Science, a new live science show that showcases the wonder of science through seemingly impossible experiments (run time 20 – 30 minutes). Additionally, two films are showing on rotation in The Dome. Sea Monsters takes audiences back to the Late Cretaceous, when the sea was dominated by giant marine reptiles (run time 40 minutes). Kansas: An Immersive Dome Experience presents the beauty and wonder of the Sunflower State from the unique perspective of a drone (run time 25 minutes)
Circus! Science Under the Big Top was developed by the Ontario Science Centre. Locally, the exhibit is sponsored by the Shaw Foundation, Campus Credit Union and Patton Termite & Pest.

[LEARN MORE ABOUT SUNFLOWER SUMMER]

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The mission of Exploration Place, Kansas’ premier science center, is to inspire a deeper interest in science and technology through creative and fun experiences for all. Exploration Place is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and through 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings. For more information, visit exploration.org.