Exhibits | Catch the Wind

We can feel the wind, but we do not always understand this friendly but sometimes potent force of nature. One of the Museum’s outdoor exploration environments, Catch the Wind gives visitors the opportunity to understand the important role wind plays in the natural world. Several interactive, hands-on activities give you the chance to discover how people, animals and plants move with the air.

Captain a radio-controlled boat in the beautiful 5,000-square-foot elliptical sailboat pond. On the sailboat table, choose a sail, put it on your boat, and see how it moves with the wind. Flap giant wings to learn how insects fly by moving their wings forward and backward, not up and down.

At the seed tower, launch giant seed pod models and watch them float, parachute, tumble, spin and glide to the ground to explore the aerodynamics of seeds. The longer a seed stays in the air, the further the wind can carry it from the parent plant and the better chance it has of surviving. 

Take Off! invites visitors to experience a bird’s-eye view of Catch the Wind as they sail skyward on our bungee trampolines. Jumpers can reach heights of 20 feet above the ground—aided by the kinetic energy from some super-stretchy bungee cords.

Experiment with mist in the mist garden to discover how air moves around different objects, including your own body.

Make vapor rings like the ones that birds use to ride and soar overhead. Shoot air rings from air cannons at mirrored aluminum discs to reveal the ever-changing patterns of invisible wind.

Steer a high-powered fan across trees and tall grasses to see how plants survive by adjusting and adapting to wind. Learn to identify birds by their flight patterns. Do they flap their wings continuously, or take breaks and glide? Do they fly in a straight line or swoop up and down? The exhibit provides an opportunity to discover the nuances of something we see all the time, but rarely pause to consider.