Quench Your Thirst for Science at the Ontario Science Centre

Quench your thirst for science this summer with a visit to the Ontario Science Centre. There is something for everyone in the family to do and explore from uncovering the truth behind myths in MythBusters, to gliding down a tree trunk slide in the Cohon Family Nature Escape or getting close to humpback whales without getting wet with the IMAX®film Humpback Whales.
To ensure visitors make the most of long summer days, the Ontario Science Centre’s summer hours will be in effect until September 7. The Centre will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, weekends and holidays, and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. If you are the 50 millionth visitor this summer you can win a prize.

Straight from the Discovery Channel’s Emmy® nominated series, MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition comes to life to uncover truths behind popular myths by mixing scientific method with gleeful curiosity and old-fashioned ingenuity. In MythBusters, co-hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman take scientific investigation to exciting new levels by proving or busting myths using their highly experimental approach and extensive backgrounds in special effects. Savage and Hyneman were heavily involved in developing the exhibition to ensure visitors experience a true MythBusting encounter. My family and I really enjoyed the hands-on, interactive experiences. This exhibition truly allows us to be curious. There were lots of fun experiements to explore. 

Our favourite was seeing if running or walking in the rain avoids us from getting wet. After going through the experiment of running or walking, we can see the special raindrops under the black light. The fluorescence microscopy filter allows us to compare how much raindrops are on us because the water glows to make it easy to determine how wet we got. We were surprised that walking actually is better than running in the rain, as you don't get wet as much as if you walk in the rain. 

We also had lots of fun during the live demonstration to see if humans respond faster to vision or sound. Experiments cover topics such as flight, friction, gravity, speed and combustion. MythBusters allows us to discover the central role science plays in everyday life and experience just how much fun science experiments can be. There are gadgets, props and blueprints from the MythBusters’ television stage set.

New Outdoor Experience at the Cohon Family Nature Escape offers four acres of outdoor space in the heart of the Don Valley and adjacent forest. The Nature Escape boasts 195 metres (640 feet) of trails that include a living moss wall, rustic pergola, tree trunk slide, gigantic nest house and an exhibit paying tribute to the Maple Leaf Forever tree. 

Climbing into the bird’s nest made of 10,000 willow twigs for a true bird’s-eye view is really facinating! It was also fun spending lots of time watching and listening to birds while we were there. This space attracts chickadees, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, red wing blackbirds, hawks, wood peckers, frogs, toads, rabbits, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, and raccoons.

We loved gliding down the 7 metres (24 feet) tree trunk slide that has been carved from a 125-year-old white pine. Ontario Science Centre architect Raymond Moriyama designed the buildings to nestle into the beautiful natural setting of the180 acres of wooded slopes, a ravine and a wetland in the Don River watershed with the intention of highlighting how humans are intrinsically linked to nature despite advances in science and technology. 

The Cohon Family Nature Escape provides a perfect complement to the exciting world inside the Science Centre. It’s a quiet place to observe the beauty of nature and explore applications of science in the real world, including how nature recycles, reinvesting nutrients for new life.

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