Fish do it, frogs do it, pythons, eagles and elephants do it, yet “poop” is one of those subjects we find difficult to talk about with a straight face. Kids, however, are positively fascinated by it, which provides a great opportunity for learning and exploration.
This summer, the Springfield Science Museum will host an unusual and thorough exhibit on the topic titled The Scoop on Poop: The Science of What Animals Leave Behind. Based on the award-winning book by Dr. Wayne Lynch, The Scoop on Poop is a tactful blend of fascinating science and good clean fun. Visitors can find out how animals use poop to build homes, hide from enemies, attract mates, cool off, and even send messages. The 4,000 square-foot exhibit also explores how people from veterinarians and paleontologists to Maasai tribesmen and power companies utilize animal waste. Excrement is also a scientific detective puzzle, since much can be learned about an animal from what it leaves behind. The exhibit opens in Springfield on May 28 and continues through September 4, 2016.
The inspiration for The Scoop on Poop sprang from the pages of a popular children’s book of the same name. Clyde Peeling and his team of scientists and educators at Peeling Productions saw the book as a perfect starting point for an exhibition, which ultimately took three years to complete. The Scoop on Poop has also had stops at institutions like the San Francisco Zoo and the Milwaukee Public Museum, among many others.
The Scoop on Poop features fun interactive components, three-dimensional models, and large colorful graphic panels all appropriate for ages 5 and up. The 15 interactive stations will allow visitors to listen in on a bear’s digestive system, learn how veterinarians make diagnosis from fecal samples, compete in dung beetle races, track wild animals by clues left in scat, and investigate coprolites (fossilized dinosaur dung). There’s a great deal of amazing trivia to be discovered as well – the world’s most expensive coffee beans are those that have passed through Asian civet cats, for example, and that the Aztecs valued guano fertilizer so highly that they threatened to execute anyone that tried to steal it.
The Scoop on Poop also traces the progression of plumbing technology, from modern filtration systems back to the days of the not-so-luxurious accommodation – the outhouse. Included in the exhibit are several live animals including a box turtle, mice, and other living organisms that make continued “contributions” to the exhibit’s contents.
The Scoop on Poop was created by Peeling Productions at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, Allenwood, PA. Media sponsors are WGBY Public Television and WRSI 93.9 FM. There is a $5 special exhibit fee for visitors ages 3 and up to view The Scoop on Poop in addition to museum admission.
MassMutual is the 2016 Season Supporter of the Springfield Museums.