Published: April 18, 2008 05:27 pm            

Leonardo’s invites customers to discover

Summer is the busiest time at Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse — and it’s just around the corner.

Julie Baird, executive director, said there are a number of special events planned for the summer months.

Beginning the “100 Days of Summer” will be a family kick-off night May 20. Baird said there aren’t quite 100 days between Memorial Day — May 26 — and Labor Day — Sept. 1 — this year, so they’re starting early. Every day in the summer, the museum will feature a different activity.

“It can be as small as ‘Morse Code Day’ or as large as the Hometown Fourth of July celebration, with old-fashion family fun,” Baird said.

Camp Leonardo’s, a six-week-long day camp for ages 4-12, will run from June 9-27 and July 7-25.

“It’s always really fun and hands-on,” Baird said.

Twilight Time will expand hours at Adventure Quest until 8 p.m. on certain nights of the week, beginning Memorial Day until Labor Day.

New exhibits at Leonardo’s include the health care careers exhibit and the expanded animals habitat. Baird said the museum partnered with students at Autry Technology Center to build cages for the animals.

Renovation is complete on the south side of the museum for traveling exhibits. The traveling exhibit gallery is made possible by Oklahoma Museum Network funded by Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

As well as Leonardo’s, Oklahoma Museum Network includes Science Museum Oklahoma, formerly Omniplex, which serves as the network hub in Oklahoma City. The network also includes Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum in Seminole, Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium and Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton.

Oklahoma Museum Network is committed to taking inquiry-based learning to all children of Oklahoma, Baird said.

In addition to traveling exhibits at the partner museums, a mobile outreach vehicle, a “Museum on Wheels,” will be available for schools, libraries and community centers around the state beginning next fall.

Baird said as part of the network, Leonardo’s will feature a new traveling exhibit every six months for five years. She said each exhibit costs between $400,000 and $500,000, often more than member museums can afford.

“It’s the quality of exhibit that Leonardo’s has not been able to purchase on a regular basis,” Baird said.

The space being renovated, about 1,300 square feet, will be reserved for the traveling exhibits.

Exhibits could begin arriving as early as May, Baird said, but the official grand opening is slated for August 15.

“Summer is always fun, and we know it’s going to be an especially good one this year with the opening of the network,” Baird said. “We hope people will come out and visit us.”

Leonardo’s and Adventure Quest is located at 200 E. Maple.