Feb. 23, 2018

Children and parents will learn more about health and wellness and their importance in building a strong community through a new exhibit at the Washington Pavilion that’s sponsored by Sanford Health.

Health Quest by Sanford will take over part of the space on the fourth floor of the Kirby Science Discovery Center, replacing some exhibits that have been there for at least a decade.

The new exhibits will be hands-on, including a “wacky science lab,” actual tools that an EMT uses and an oversized body for exploring anatomy. A play space will allow parents to watch over infants and toddlers while older children explore the exhibits.

Sanford’s three priorities for community partnerships are health and wellness, education and workforce development, and quality of life, said Stacy Wrightsman, director of public affairs for the health system.

“Health Quest by Sanford here at the Pavilion will really hit them all,” she said.

As a mom to 4- and 6-year-olds, Wrightsman said that working on the project has been exciting because she knows her boys and other children will have fun learning in the environment. Health Quest also will expose them to health career opportunities beyond the obvious choices of being a doctor or nurse, she said.

Renovation work will begin soon, and the area should reopen in early May.

The popular floor-mounted, oversized piano keyboard and ball wall will find new homes on other floors, said Jason Folkerts, the Pavilion’s director of exhibitions and collections.

The new exhibits that focus on the health sciences will be a “natural fit for who we are as a community,” Folkerts said. The area of genetics is “kind of the new cool. It’s where we are going in the next 15 to 20 years. We’ll explain what it is and how it works.”

The exhibits are being produced by M. Catton & Co. of Le Mars, Iowa.