Balancing Act Exhibit Debut

You're invited to get into the act of balancing! Our body and brain work together to help us stay poised. Put your sense of equilibrium to the test in Balancing Act, a new hands-on and feet exhibit debuting Jan. 28 – May 20, 2012 at the Children’s Museum of Houston. From teetering toddlers to tight-rope walkers, balance is something we use in our everyday lives. Discover what keeps spinning tops spinning, gymnasts on track, and ice skaters on the edge!

Balancing Act focuses on the physical nature of balance and the body systems that work together to achieve that balance. Through a variety of challenging activities, such as balance beams, bridges and balance boards, you can get into the act and test your sense of balance in a fun, playful environment.

CHECKS AND BALANCES
• As you enter Balancing Act, you may first be drawn to the Balance Bridge. Try to keep from rocking as you navigate down the center of the bridge. The more people on the bridge at one time, the more movement you’ll experience!
• Test your skills on a “teeter totter” in the Balance Board Challenge. You’ll learn how our body systems work together to enable skateboarders, surfers and others to maintain and master balance.
• The exhibit’s Balance Circus station shows how our body systems work together to achieve balance. Here you’ll find props to balance on various parts of your body: balancing birds, juggling blocks, bean bags and balancing egg heads. Toddlers have an opportunity to balance on the Infant Barre.
• Find out how long you can stay balanced on the swiveling and shifting Balance Timer. Try it more than once and see if you can improve your time with practice.
• Experiment with balancing different objects on the Balance Scale.
• See how high you can stack blocks on a shifting table top before it topples over on the Tippy Table.
• Take some tops for a spin in Spinning Tops and discover the secrets behind twirling ballerinas and rotating ice skaters.
• Other components, such as the Balance Beam, Stepping Stones and Wavy Beam, challenge you to adjust your body and control your center of gravity as you navigate the obstacle courses.

Guiding you through Balancing Act is “Level,” a sculptural balancing buddy made from cubes and boxes. This level-headed character demonstrates how prevalent balance is in our everyday lives and how the body and brain work together to help us maintain that balance.

Come and expand your understanding of balance and learn how to practice and improve it by participating in active learning experiences in Balancing Act—because balance isn’t just an act!