If you're looking for family-friendly fun in the Youngstown area, you can't miss The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology, also known simply as OH WOW! This museum has geared its hands-on entertainment and educational exhibits primarily toward elementary-age children. However, the creative projects and activities that you'll find within can easily cater to visitors of all ages.
About OH WOW!
OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology has been a family favorite in Youngstown, Ohio, since May 12, 2011. Since opening, the center has served 540,863 visitors, offering an educational and intriguing experience to each guest. OH WOW! has designed its hands-on exhibits to encourage independent thinking and a creative approach to STEM-based activities.
Fascinating WOW! ZONES
The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology features a wide variety of hands-on exhibits known as WOW! ZONES. Each one has its own highlights to explore.
Drive to Excel
Drive to Excel explores the technology and equipment that helps individuals with disabilities overcome and thrive. This exhibit illuminates the many ways that individuals can participate enthusiastically in life despite personal challenges and unique differences. Artist Amanda Long's “Silly Faces” is an interactive video installation that helps visitors explore this topic in an entertaining way.
Avionics
Paper airplanes take on a new life in the Avionics exhibit. Here, you can experiment with different paper airplane designs and shoot them toward various targets with the airplane shooter. The exhibit also features an experimental bi-plane simulator called Big John's Flight Trainer.
Brain Power
Children learn about the power and importance of money in the Brain Power exhibit. This area challenges visitors to identify the difference between needs and wants, budgeting properly for each. The play ATM offers pretend withdrawals to help them along their monetary journey.
Kids in the Kitchen
The Suzi Solomon Early Childhood WOW! ZONE features the Kids in the Kitchen exhibit. Here, children explore the journey that food takes from farm to table. This highly sensory experience gives participants a unique opportunity to think in greater depth about where their food comes from and how it makes it to their plates.
Earth and Weather
You can try your hand as a meteorologist in this WOW! ZONE sponsored by WFMJ TV 21. Step up to the green screen and give your very own weather forecast. Not sure what to predict? You can experience extreme weather hands-on in the Hurricane Chamber and report all about it.
Engineering
The Howard Solomon Engineering WOW! ZONE encourages kids to take a cooperative approach to fun engineering challenges. Participants can try out projects such as building a catenary arch, creating a gear train, moving objects with air, constructing Lego masterpieces, and testing the strength of the magnet wall.
River of Knowledge
Play with water on the stream table and try out a variety of wet and wild challenges. Kids can make water flow upward with the Archimedes Screw, seemingly defying gravity in this playful science experiment. The erosion table offers a hands-on way to experience the effect of water on soil. Kids can route, capture, and reroute the flow to achieve their ends.
Sound and Light
Sound and light take on a whole new form in this WOW! ZONE. Kids can find their voice on a larger-than-life scale in the echo tube or write their own masterpieces on the rhythm machine. The laser guitar's beams create a dance-worthy landscape that's fun for all.
Energy
The museum worked with First Energy to create the Energy WOW! ZONE. This exhibit explores power, how it works, and what you can accomplish when you channel it properly.
InspireWorks!
InspireWorks! uses donated household items as the building blocks for stunning new creations. Participants use the Plan, Do, Check, Act process for continuous improvement. With this approach, the exhibit is constantly evolving, growing, and taking on fresh forms, which means that you can look forward to a whole new experience with every visit.
Exciting New Additions
The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology has been continuously growing since its inception, in line with a master plan that's meant to continue through 2024. The museum's newest exhibits include three thrilling additions:
- House of Shine: This exhibit is all about looking inward and seeing the potential that awaits you there. Explore new possibilities as you reveal what your true potential may hold.
- Sensory Sensitive Room: Those with sensory sensitivities will adore this peaceful, quiet space. Safe and comfortable, the Sensory Sensitive Room allows visitors to explore all five senses calmly and gently.
- MicroElectronics Lab: Youngstown State University helped create the MicroElectronics Lab, which introduces children to the basics of computer engineering and how it's used to make microchips and microcircuits.
Intriguing Events
Check the calendar before you plan your day at the Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science and Technology and you can plan your visit to coincide with one of the facility's special events. The annual Science of Brewing event offers an adults-only evening at the museum. Visitors can enjoy live music and entertainment while sampling wine, beer, and culinary delights. Proceeds from the evening benefit the STEM programs at OH WOW!
From Sept. 17 to Sept. 23, 2023, you can attend the Youngstown Regional Science and Technology Festival featuring 7 Days of STEM. The excitement kicks off with Silly Science Sunday.
If you'd like to host your own event at the museum, you can book a private party. This will give you private use of Function Junction or after-hours access to the entire museum depending on your package.
Plan Your Visit to OH WOW!
If you're ready to plan your trip, we can help you get to OH WOW! with ease in one of our new vehicles. Find the perfect ride for all your family-friendly fun with ample room for adults and kids alike. Visit our team at Boardman Mitsubishi and check out the lot today.
person piling blocks by La-Rel Easter is licensed with Unsplash License