KidSenses Children’s InterACTIVE Museum recently announced the award of a $25,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation for its new Fantastic Friday’s free admission program. This grant will enable the museum to provide free admission on special Fridays each month throughout 2015. Starting Jan. 9, KidSenses will welcome all visitors, free of charge, to visit the museum from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. The museum will be free the first Friday of each following month throughout the year.

On each Fantastic Friday all visitors will be able to participate in free, fun, exciting and hands-on learning programs about science and energy. Programs will focus on the theme of renewable energy.

“Watt’s Current?” will introduce children to the basic principles of electricity, by having them participate in a fun, interactive, life-sized circuit activity. “Power it Up” will introduce children to the different ways that electricity is generated, and help them discover how energy makes its way to their home. “Energy Quest” will introduce children to machinery that is used to generate electricity. Working together in small groups, children will build “Squishy Circuits” using conductive play dough. The Squishy Circuits will power LED’s, fans, motors and speakers. Children will also construct fully functional miniature wind turbines.

These programs will take place throughout the day, led by the museum’s talented informal science educators.

-Article submitted by Marcia Monahan