Tag: science

ROM: Through the Eyes Of My Grandchildren

Last week I spent a day with a couple of my grandchildren, Agnes 14 and Ben 10, at the ROM. They had both been there before, but they wanted to go again – together. They wanted to show each other their favourite exhibits.

The plan was to wander through each floor, stopping when a favourite spot came along. The first exhibit that caught their attention was in China. Right away the kids noticed the swastika on an Emperor’s robe. I had thought the swastika was a marketing tool of Hitler’s, but it turns out that the symbol has been around in Chinese culture for at least 5000 years, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. Along with all his horrifying atrocities, Hitler had been plagiarizing as well.

Next we visited the biodiversity section where we saw the bat cave, numerous crawling things, exotic fish, food webs, a piece of rock from the moon, and of course dinosaurs. The dinosaur exhibit was of particular interest to me because it has been moved from its original dark space near the entrance to a bright and airy new section on the second floor. Dinosaurs of all sizes can now be examined up close.

After all that, it was time for a break. The kids had never been to the restaurant; they had always come with other groups and their lunch, and sat in a different area. The restaurant is not gourmet but it serves pizza with good pepperoni (according to Ben) and a delicious salad with greens and fruit (according to me!). We were happy eating, as we made our plans for the next part of our visit.

We had saved the third floor for last. This area contains Ancient Egypt which is a crowd favourite, mostly because of the mummies. But Ben and Agnes had seen them all before and walked by with only one comment: “gross.” We found 2 versions of Cleopatra – one carved in stone, and the other one a replica of Cleopatra putting on her make-up. That interested Agnes immensely.

The Japanese exhibit is also on the third floor now. At first Ben said he wasn’t interested, until I reminded him that he and his family had visited Japan only a year ago. Then he spotted the samurai swords and rushed over. He and Agnes studied the swords and the kimonos. Then they were attracted to the gift-wrapping table, Japanese style. This, like many other exhibits, was hands-on.

And that is what impressed me most about the updated ROM. Most of the exhibits have some sort of interactive display which engages young visitors fully.

Pushing buttons:

spinning wheels:

activating lights:

listening to mini-lectures:

tapping on images:

Our final stop was for more food at a small cafe on the main floor. Agnes chose a dessert square, Ben found a Kermit Gingerbread Man who quickly became legless, and I got a very sugary Nanaimo bar. We left the ROM with tummies full of calories and minds full of interesting things we had learned from our ancestors. Not one of us had even thought of using our cell phones.

Sue

The Moon

Our Canadian culture embraces the moon. Think of all the songs that you know, that you are humming right now, about the moon. Think of the very first book you read, Good Night Moon, or the very first nursery rhyme: “The cow jumped over the moon,” the first love song you shared with your partner, Moon River, moon phases in indigenous culture, moon cakes from Japan, and moon boots. The moon cycles, new moon, full moon, are sources of inspiration for planting, harvesting, predicting weather patterns, and planning for babies. How many people, since time began, have stared up at the moon and wondered what it would be like to live there?

Since the 1700’s we, the people of the earth, have been trying to find out. Early studies of space shows that the first telescopic discovery of a planet, Uranus, was by a British guy, William Herschel, in 1781. The first mammals to survive a space flight were a pair of dogs, sent into orbit by the USSR in 1951. The first photograph of earth from orbit was by the USA in 1959.

Then things sped up and in 1961 both Yuri Gagarin USSR, and then Alan Sheppard USA, piloted space ships in orbit. During the 1960’s the USSR and the USA took turns achieving space goals. The USSR sent the first woman into space, and made the first soft landing on the moon. Then came that famous day that we all remember: July, 1969. Neil Armstrong spoke for all of us: One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Then he and his crew returned safely to earth.

Things in space seemed to grow quiet for a while. But while astronauts were taking a rest from space flight, experiments were going on. The first lunar rovers travelled around the moon’s surface, and the first space station was developed by the USSR. There were a number of attempts to study Mars, from orbit or on soft landing vehicles. There were flybys of Mercury and Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. Data was being gathered and studied.

In the 1980’s more attention was paid to astronauts in space. Several had long research stays on the space station, and returned safely. And in 1998 the first international space station was built and then assembled in space. In 2015 the first food, lettuce, was grown and eaten on the space station. This was a big step towards self-staining life in space.

Space travel hasn’t always been safe. Almost 200 astronauts have been killed due to space-related accidents. In 1967 3 US astronauts died during a pre-test. In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger heading to the International Space station, broke apart just after launch. It killed all 7 astronauts on board and was witnessed by millions of people on TV. Then in 2003 another shuttle, the Columbia, disintegrated during re-entry killing all 7 astronauts, and once again stunning TV audiences.

Nevertheless the excitement of space exploration still lures us. Once again it is the moon calling. And Canada is sending our 9th astronaut along for the ride. Marc Garneau was our first astronaut and he flew on 3 missions to a space station in the early 2000’s. The most famous so far is probably Christ Hadfield, who has served on several space missions including as the commander on the ISS (International Space Station). He is also well known for his social media presence and his books.

Tomorrow, if things go as planned, Jeremy Hansen will take his place among our Canadian heroes as he travels, with 3 other astronauts, on a new path – around the moon and back. Few people have seen the “dark side of the moon” and there will be opportunity for lots of tests, especially ones that will confirm whether the moon’s surface can support human life for an extended time. The next stop – Mars!

These days with our planet in turmoil, it’s comforting to think that maybe, just maybe, a future generation can escape to a new world where civilization can begin again. And do things right.

Sue