Listen Up! Sonic Sensation is Coming to The Children's Museum of Atlanta

Hey, Atlanta, Listen up! The newest exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Atlanta invites families to sound off on a multi-sensory adventure! Sonic Sensation, an educational traveling exhibit developed by the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York, will be featured in Atlanta February 15 – June 1 to teach children the anatomy, measurement and science of sound.

“Families will be all ears when they hear about Sonic Sensation,” said Jane Turner, executive director of The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. “This highly engaging exhibit offers a fun and informative opportunity for children to experience the sonic world and sensation of being surrounded by everyday sounds. The interactive components and activities directly align with our mission to spark imagination and inspire discovery and learning for all children through the power of play.”

The 1,500 sq. ft. exhibit features a variety of interactive, hands-on activities for children to see, feel and hear sound. Visitors can experiment with pitch, test their listening skills, make a movie soundtrack and much more! As children engage with multiple learning stations throughout the exhibit, they will discover key listening skills through the science of sound and hearing.

There are 14 exhibition components in Sonic Sensation:

Entry Piece

Families have the opportunity to explore the sonic world and the sensation of being surrounded by everyday sounds. Strike panels of various woods and metals to hear their different sounds!

Scream Chamber
Step into a soundproof chamber and let out a roar! A partner reads the decibel meter on the outside, and children can compare their decibels to other animal sounds on the chart. The competition gets fierce and funny!

Seeing Sound

Adjust the frequency and amplitude knobs to drive the big speakers at each end of a clear tube. Watch the contents of the tube “dance” in all kinds of interesting patterns!

Invisible Orchestra

Wave in the air and dance on a carpet to play notes! A camera mounted overhead shows them on the monitor, and guests can move their hands and feet into the motion-sensing zones on the monitor to play different sounds. Make several zones sound at once!

Critters in a Cupboard

Hide the “cat” or “cricket” in a kitchen cupboard and ask a partner to find it by listening only – no peeking!

Hearing Test

Visitors can listen to different pitches, and find out which frequencies they hear with their right and left ears. Record the results on a chart.

Measuring Sounds

Tap a xylophone to try different notes. The display tells children what frequencies they have hit!

How Do We Hear?

See all of the parts inside an ear with a large-scale ear model! Guests can launch a billiard ball to show how sound hitting the eardrums sends signals to the brain.

Ear This!

Visitors can stand behind the giant ear graphic and put their best face forward. Children can see how they look with the ears of an elephant or even a bat. Fun family photo op!

Match the Sound

Shake containers and listen to their sounds to guess what’s inside. Children are challenged to find another container with a matching sound. Flip up the doors to see if they heard correctly!

Create a Soundtrack

Have you ever wanted to create a musical background for your own movie? Guests can add sounds as a movie plays. Train whistling, ducks quacking, cows mooing – what sounds good?

Sound Words Reading Area

Take some family time and relax on a music-themed carpet and learn about sounds and hearing through books geared toward a range of ages.

High Pitch, Low Pitch

Hit the colored bells mounted on a rotating turntable and sort them into high and low pitches. Then, guests can flip up the doors to see how they did!

Protect Your Hearing

Hearing damage can be serious. Visitors see examples of different kinds of hearing protection and discover what happens if people don’t protect their hearing.

Entrance to the exhibit is included in each regular admission to The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Admission for ages 1 – 100 is $12.75 (+tax). Children under 1 are free.

Museum hours: Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed Wednesdays mid-August through mid-June. Open Wednesdays during peak weeks during the holidays, spring and summer. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; open until 1:00 p.m. Christmas Eve. Open New Year’s Eve. Please check the Museum website to confirm hours of operation.

For more information or to support The Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit their website at www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org or call 404.659.KIDS [5437].

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