by Joe Szabo, Szabo Group

Want a place for kids of all ages? Consider spending some time at The Arizona Science Center. They offer interactive hands-on exhibits, a planetarium and an IMAX theater.

Some exhibits you might want to visit include:

All About You exhibit explores learning and remembering as well as how our bodies move.

Psychology explores preferences of personal space as well as features The Echo Chamber where you can discover how those with blindness figure out where they are.

Get Charged Up lets you experience what it’s like to lie on a bed of nails. You can also see how a prism splits white light into the colors of the rainbow and more!

Robots: The Interactive Exhibition opens September 27, 2009 and features characters from the animated film Robots.

The science center also offers family camp-ins, which are $20 for one parent and child. Each additional child is $5. Also, it is recommended for younger children, those ages 6-10. Some upcoming classes are:

Oct. 10: It’s a Small World – Learn about nanotechnology and how you are impacted.

Oct. 24: Our Colorful World – Learn about light and color and its properties.

Nov. 7: Recipe for Weather – Learn about tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and more.

Nov. 21: It’s Elementary, Dear Watson – Learn about scientific method and how it can be used to solve a problem. Your child will be able to observe, predict, conduct an experiment, collect data and present their conclusions.

Dec. 5: It’s About Time!-Learn about the world of time and time zones. Your child will be able to create a way to measure time without using a clock.

The Arizona Science Center is located at 600 E Washington Street in Phoenix. For more information visit: www.azscience.org

The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.  Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020 or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com

[Source: Kathleen Gormley, Arizona Republic] — The Arizona Science Center has acquired the assets of the Phoenix Museum of History under a new operating agreement that also gives it the right to occupy the museum’s building.  The Phoenix Museum of History, 105 N. Fifth St., closed its doors June 30 because of financial problems.

The science center, 600 E. Washington St., has agreed to provide at least 5,400 square feet of space dedicated to Phoenix history in one of the two buildings, city officials said.  The history museum totals 20,000 square feet.

The Phoenix City Council approved the agreement Wednesday in which the science center will operate both buildings.  The city owns the buildings and is responsible for maintenance of them.  The museums pay rent to the city to occupy the buildings.  “This is not a merger,” said Ruth Osuna, deputy city manager.  “It is a transfer of assets of the Museum of History to the science center.”

The museum, which has been looking for a financial partner, contacted the Arizona Science Center about a partnership “about 17 or 18 months ago,” said Chevy Humphrey, president and CEO of the science center.  Kristin Priscella, science center senior director of communications, said the science center is “working on a plan to catalogue the artifacts that were part of the history museum’s asset acquisition.”  She said a reopening date for the history section is to be determined.  [Note: Read the full article at Arizona Science Center gains Phoenix history museum's assets.]

by Joe Szabo, Szabo Group

If you enjoy the desert and some of the plants featured in that environment, check out Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. It is home to 139 plants and features the Mariposa Monarca Monarch Butterfly Exhibit at the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion. The exhibit runs from September 26 through November 15, 2009.

Some other upcoming events include:

Biergarten – September 25, 2009 – 7-10 PM

Cost: $70 for members; $75 for general public

Enjoy great beer, the great atmosphere of the gardens, and great music provided by four different groups.

Las Noches de las Luminarias – December 3-30, 2009

Member tickets are on sale now and are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets for the general public go on sale October 1^st and are $25 for adults and $12.50 for children. Thousands of hand-lit lights cast a glow on all of the garden’s featured plants. Enjoy this special event with your whole family! For more information on this event visit www.dbg.org/index.php/plan/calendar/eventdisplay?evt=luminariac

Music In The Garden – October 2-November 6, 2009

Cost: $14 for members; $20 for general public

For those who love outdoor concerts, on Fridays Starting October 2^nd and continuing through November 6^th, 2009 the gardens will feature concerts from 7-9 pm. Some of the acts who will be featured include Jaleo, Big Nick and the Gila Monsters, and The Jump Back Brothers. For the complete schedule visit /www.dbg.org/index.php/plan/calendar/musicinthegarden

These are just some of the upcoming events. Desert Botanical Garden is located at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway in Phoenix. For more information visit: www.dbg.org/index.php

The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.  Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020 or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com

Circa 1900 in downtown Phoenix's Heritage Square.

[Source: Rebecca Clark, Special to the Arizona Republic] – On the nights of the First Fridays art walk, the normally quiet streets of downtown Phoenix are packed with nouveau hippies offering free hugs, Scientology protesters next to Scientology promoters, and street vendors selling everything from aprons to jewelry.  Men and women of all ages, all walks of life and from all over the Valley are drawn in by fire breathers, live bands and, of course, art.  But sometimes, amid the blocks of mayhem near the Roosevelt Row arts and shopping district, the night can seem less about art and more about an “art scene.”

That’s why Artlink, a non-profit downtown Phoenix arts organization, has partnered with the Rosson House Foundation and Phoenix artist Sean Deckert to bring a calmer, quieter, completely art-focused element to First Fridays in Heritage & Science Park, south of the Roosevelt Row area.  “People who come to downtown only for First Fridays get the wrong idea,” said Deckert, who is program coordinator and co-curator of the First Friday expansion to Heritage Square.  “On First Fridays, it is like the state fair has come to town.  There are people selling ice cream cones and T-shirts, and amidst all of that, there is an artist showing and trying to sell his own work.”

That’s why vendors and certain kinds of street performers will not be allowed in the intimate historic space near the Arizona Science Center and Pizzeria Bianco.  Instead there will be an outdoor gallery showing six to 10 artists each month, and Deckert said that number will increase as the area develops a reputation for art.  [Note: Read the full article at First Fridays art walk expands to downtown Phoenix's Heritage Square.]

At the Lego Castle Adventure exhibit at the Arizona Science Center:

One of my very favorite things about this little human I’m raising (or just slowly unfolding), is that while she briefly wore the pink princess costume to please her dear Oma, she would much, much prefer to dress up like a ROARRRR-ing, be-winged, horned dragon than a pretty pink princess.

That’s just kinda cool.

Last Saturday night at the Arizona Science Center was a blast!  We handed out around 130 samples of our Vanilla/Lime Body Butter and received rave reviews!  It was fun to talk to the girls and see their reactions to our aromatherapy scents.  Our Organic Solid Perfumes in Licorice Candy, Tangerine Dreamsicle & Love’s Embrace were among their favorites.  They also liked our Vanilla/Lime & Lavandin/Litsea Cubeba signature bath and body products and our Cocoa/Lime Hemp Lip Balm.  Bergamot/Ylang Ylang and Bourbon Geranium scents were a hit with the moms.  Featured eco-friendly exhibitors from around Arizona included Aji Spa, Cherry Bombin’ Wear, Space Cadet, azTeen Magazine, Urban Cookies, Whole Foods Market, Dressed Up Cat, Lotus Wei Organics, and Wei of Chocolate.

We were recently invited to participate in the Eco-Fabulous event on Saturday, August 8th at the Arizona Science Center! Girls ages 10-17 will be able to experience hands-on activities relating to fashion, beauty, and science and can also attend an eco-friendly fashion show.  Green companies from around Arizona will each have a booth where girls can take part in activities and learn about their products.  Hothouse Botanicals’ booth will be set-up so that attendees can sample our healthy natural products, smell our aromatherapy scents, and each girl will take home a mini jar of our Vanilla/Lime Body Butter.   The Eco-Fabulous event is from 5:30-8:30 p.m.  For more information, be sure to visit: http://www.azscience.org/girls_math_science

Hope to see you there!

Earth Hour is next Saturday, March 28 at “8:30 p.m. local time, wherever you live on planet earth,”  until 9:30.

Earth Hour’s an event created by the World Wildlife Fund  to encourage responsible energy use, calling on people to turn off their lights/electric devices for one hour to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. 

This event first started in Sydney in 2007. Since then, cities around the world have joined in, including Phoenix. Here’s a video with more information about Earth Hour. You can see Phoenix going dark at 1:50:

Unfortunately, according to a Phoenix New Times piece, Phoenix won’t be participating in Earth Hour this year.  City officials have claimed it’s cheaper leaving lights on to rack up the electric bill than paying people overtime to turn them off. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute. If you’re looking for ways to participate in Earth Hour besides sitting by yourself in a dark room, the Arizona Science Center will be offering stargazing  through telescopes in Heritage Square from 8-10 p.m.  

 You can also calculate your household emission levels with U.S. Environmental Protections Agency’s great household emissions calculator and use its tips to cut back on greenhouse gasses while saving money in the process.

Judy’s Phoenix Blog offers a list of Ten Things You Can Do in the Dark if you’re looking for a few more ways to spice up your Earth Hour.

Whether you decide to gaze through a telescope, snuggle up to your significant other or just turn off that unnecessary lamp, use Earth Hour as an opportunity to be mindful of how small actions can have a big impact.

EDIT

For those of you in Tucson looking for something to do for Earth Hour, there’s a concert under the stars at Sabino Canyon.  Western, chorus and smooth jazz bands will be playing along with the U.S. Forest Service’s string band  The Fiddlin’ Foresters.

The concert will go from 5-9 p.m. and the parking’s free. The concert suggested donation is $5 a person and $10 for a family, with the proceeds going towards Friends of  Sabino Canyon. In addition to the concert, there will be telescopes to look at the stars, a silent auction, food and drinks, as well as storytelling and Smokey Bear for kids.

[Source: Jahna Berry, Arizona Republic] — This summer, downtown Phoenix will have a slew of offerings for kids.  The Arizona Science Center recently added a $1.5 million weather-themed exhibit that has amusement park-style features.  And in June, the center will host Chronicles of Narnia, a traveling exhibition with props and costumes from the movie based on the C.S. Lewis books. 

The long-awaited Children’s Museum of Phoenix will open June 14.  Geared toward children 10 and younger, the 70,000-square-foot museum’s opening day exhibits will include an art studio, a miniature market, and a “carwash” for tricycles.  “Downtown Phoenix is more of a real destination for children and adults alike because there are so many more activities,” said Marion Wiener, spokeswoman for the children’s museum.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

[Source: Jahna Berry, Arizona Republic] — The Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix boldly is going where it hasn’t gone before.  A $25.2 million campaign will transform the 25-year-old institution from floor to ceiling in 3 1/2 years, adding a little theme-park pizzazz.  A “Forces of Nature” gallery that opens in April will have moving floors and will simulate wind, rain and heat, museum officials say.

Across the country, science centers are hunting for ways to inspire sophisticated grade-schoolers who’ve mastered Nintendo Wii and have grown up with the Internet.  At the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, children can experience the force of hurricane winds.  At the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, Calif., visitors can get rattled by a simulated earthquake.  And, in Phoenix, the institution must take the same approach to survive, balancing traditional exhibits with the wow factor, said Chevy Humphrey, president/CEO of the Arizona Science Center.  “Science centers are at a crossroads,” she said. The best museums combine learning and “the wow…taking the chance to talk to children in the language that they want to be spoken to.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Cosmic Evolution, Earth Evolution: talks at AZ Science Ctr

[A forwarded message, received on Oct. 5, 2006. Note the talks on
astronomy and earth science on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13. -- Jane J]

Evolution Speaker Series at The Arizona Science Center

Join the Arizona Science Center and The University of Arizona College of
Science for an exciting series of presentations about one of the most
controversial topics of our time.  Scientists from many fields work
together to discover the processes that create the current state of our
universe, our world, and ourselves.  The theory of evolution accounts
for
the origin of all matter, including the development of life itself.  We
are
proud to present these seven lectures that will illustrate the various
aspects of evolution.

  All lectures begin at 7 p.m. and are free to the public.  For
reservations
or more information, please email
  <edserve@azscience.org>
  or call 602-716-2000 and choose option 8, then option 3.

October 25, 2006
Biological Evolution: What It Is and What It Isn’t
Joanna Masel, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

November 29, 2006
Earth Evolution: The Formation of Our Planet
Joaquin Ruiz, Dean of the College of Science and Professor of
Geosciences

December 13, 2006
Cosmic Evolution: From Big Bang to Biology
Chris Impey, Distinguished Professor, Astronomy

January 31, 2007
Social Evolution: Cooperation and Conflict from Molecules to Society
Rick Michod, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

February 28, 2007
Animal Evolution: Recycling Ancient Genes for New Uses
Lisa Nagy, Associate Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology

March 28, 2007
Human Evolution: Tracing Our Origins with DNA
Michael Hammer, Research Scientist, Division of Biotechnology and
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

April 25, 2007
Disease Evolution: The Example of HIV
Michael Worobey, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Sent by:
Dianne McKee
Educational Services Manager
Arizona Science Center
Institute for Teaching
600 E. Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
(602) 716-2000, ext. 2564
 www.azscience.org

Arizona Science Center and KAET Eight Event at the Arizona Science Center.

 DragonFlyTV prorgam preview for a show shot in Arizona.