Fun and Learning, with a Little Evaluation Too

Love this! Above, the new Rocket Park Mini Golf Course which opens this weekend at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. In a NY Times article, science reporter John Tierney conducted an evaluation, if you will, of what fourth graders learn. Tierney worked with an astrophysicist of the American Museum of Natural History to design that evaluation--a quiz to test before and after knowledge of the two fourth graders he played with.

And, they did learn a bit about black holes, space ships, gravity and more. That astrophysicist, Dr. Michael Shara, concluded, "The golf is fulfilling the museum's mission. Kids will learn a little. Adults will learn a little. The golf is good fun. And the rockets are cool."

Isn't that what we want for visitors? Some fun, some learning? Absolutely on my to-do list the next time I'm in New York...and very nice to read a piece of news, amidst the doom and gloom of layoffs, that's really about fun, imagination and a museum.