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Home | News Index | Adventures in Arts and Science: Family Friendly Activies in Arts and Science
Adventures in Arts and Science
Look no further than MU's College of Arts and Science for places to visit and things to do on campus that are appropriate for families and children.
Snakes and More Exhibit
 Snakes alive! Kids, families and other brave souls are invited to a weekly food fest with Missouri's species of native snakes and amphibians. Only the creatures will be eating, however, when dinner is served. Menu choices typically offered to the eager eaters are mice, goldfish, worms, crickets and crayfish.
As an educational experience, the exhibit identifies the reptiles and amphibians likely to be encountered in Missouri. Twenty species of Missouri's native snakes are displayed, including all of Missouri's venomous snakes — cottonmouths, copperheads and three varieties of rattlesnakes — as well as non-venomous species, such as milk snakes (red and brown), rat snakes, garter snakes, ribbon snakes, green snakes and large constrictors.
Among the 10 turtle species displayed are two alligator snapping turtles, examples of North America's largest fresh-water turtles.
Reptiles and Amphibians Display
- Location: 202 Stewart Hall, east of Memorial Union (Hitt St.) [map]
- Display open: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Weekly feeding: Fridays 9:30 a.m.
- Phone: 573-884-7279
- Admission: free
On a Clear Night
 Enjoy a starry, starry night at MU's Laws Observatory, where visitors become amateur astronomers. Weather permitting, you can view the mysteries of the night sky from the observatory in the Physics Building. On a clear night, the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, globular clusters of stars and other wonders are visible through the eyepiece of the telescope and on a viewing screen. Members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy or of the Central Missouri Astronomical Association will guide you through the experience.
Visitors to the Physics Building may also check MU's link to the Hubble telescope and watch discoveries as they happen. The NASA astronomy display, which provides computer-screen updates in real time, is located in the lobby.
Laws Observatory
- Location: Physics Building on College Avenue, fifth floor [map]
- Open: Wednesdays, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Phone: 573-882-3335
- Admission: free
Rockin' in Geology
 Collecting rocks, minerals and fossils is fun for all ages. To see what MU's geologists have discovered through the years, head to the Geological Sciences Building, where you'll find such treasures as dinosaur footprints, mastodon and mammoth teeth, freshwater-fish fossils, insects in amber, petrified wood, quartz, crystals, coral, jade, geodes, cave stalagmites and a cast of the largest clam you've ever seen.
*Can you name and describe the official Missouri State Rock?
**How about the official state fossil?
You will, when you visit. Don't miss the fossil of a Jurassic Age marine reptile in the east staircase to the second floor. Be sure to check the seismograph in the lobby of the main entrance for a look at global earthquake activity in real time. Visit on your own, or phone ahead for a tour with a graduate student.
* mozarkite
** crinoid
Geology Rocks, Minerals, Fossils Collection
- Location: Geological Sciences Building, Francis Quadrangle [map]
- Showcase locations: first floor and lower level
- Open: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (4 p.m. summers) \
- Phone: 573-882-6785
- Web site: geology.missouri.edu
- Admission: free
Stunning Visual Arts
 About 25,000 school children and lifelong learners visit the Museum of Art and Archaeology each year. You should, too. The public museum showcases world treasures and masterworks of art and archaeology in its permanent collections and changing exhibitions. Collections from seven millennia and six continents provide visitors a sense of history and geography.
With 14,000 objects from Paleolithic tools to works by Picasso, and from classical antiquity through masterpieces of the Renaissance, the museum is the third largest visual arts museum in Missouri. Not to be missed: the cast gallery of Greek and Roman sculpture off the main entrance. The gift shop sells educational art toys, games and collectibles.
Museum of Art and Archaeology
- Location: Pickard Hall, Francis Quadrangle, off Ninth Street [map]
- Open: Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday/Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
- Phone: 573-882-3591
- Web site: maa.missouri.edu
- Admission: free
What's New in Art?
See for yourself. The original art on display changes every three to four weeks in the George Caleb Bingham Gallery. The rotating exhibits feature the works of MU's Department of Art students, faculty, retired faculty and alumni, as well as visiting artists. Check the Web site for information on current exhibits from a mix of media: ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, graphic design, printmaking, textiles, fibers and photography.
Bingham Gallery
- Location: A125 Fine Arts Building, Hitt and University streets [map]
- Open: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closes at 4 p.m. summers)
- Phone: 573-882-3555
- Web site: binghamgallery.missouri.edu
- Admission: free
What's in Your Back Yard? What's in Someone Else's?
 The Museum of Anthropology showcases archaeological and ethnographic artifacts that detail Missouri's prehistory and that of most of the country. A popular item is the house post carved with a clan symbol displayed in the Northwest Coast exhibit. The post was part of the Alaska village at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Monthly "Cultures of the World" classes, designed for first through fifth graders, engage children in the music, crafts, games and lore of other cultures. Classes are limited to the first 15 registrants, so please call to enroll your child. A donation of $3 is suggested to cover the cost of supplies.
Collectibles, educational toys and fair trade items are available in the gift shop.
Museum of Anthropology and gift shop
- Location: 100 Swallow Hall, Francis Quadrangle, MU campus [map]
- Open: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., one Saturday every month (call or check Web site for details)
- Phone: 573-882-3573
- Web site : anthromuseum.missouri.edu
- Admission: free
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