Learning With Fun
Each project we have constructed has been more exciting than the last. One of our first projects was an interactive tree house near their front entrance, this tree house not only appeared as if it was built on a real tree but also included talking pipes for kids to communicate to their friends down on the ground.
With children’s museums, exhibits are always more involved than just something to look at. They need to not only be fun for the kids, but also provide mental stimulation so they will learn something new whether they realize it or not. We really enjoy doing these projects because we are able to provide a lot more design input in comparison to our zoo builds.
“Edge Themed Environments does an outstanding job of working with the other architects, contractors, and other fabricators involved in our project. The quality of their work and attention to detail was critical, as our standard of excellence is very high.”
Crew members working at Imagine Children's museum on the upper deck on the in progress Bicycle Tree
Handmade whale baleen made for the Whale Exhibit at Imagine Children's Museum.
Whale Story
Our whale was first observed live off Whidbey Island on 6/8/19 by a whale watch vessel. It was seen periodically throughout June, with its body condition deteriorating. He was found floating dead at about noon on July 6th in Budd Inlet in Olympia and was towed onto the beach the next day for a necropsy. His official number is CRC-1740.
When a marine mammal dies, scientists conduct a necropsy, an animal version of an autopsy. During this process, they take measurements and samples to determine the cause of death. If the skeleton is decided to be preserved, the whale is flensed. This is the process of removing as much soft tissue as humanly possible so the bones can buried to allow bacteria to eat what is left, leaving only the bones behind.
When the whale skeleton was given to the museum, DFW and Cascadia had already mostly cleaned it. Since whale bones are extremely oily, the longer they sit in manure, the better, it is recommended that they be buried for as long as possible. We got them in the ground as soon as we could in early 2020, and they were dug up in late June 2021 for cleaning, whitening, and inventorying.
We then dug up the bones and brought them to Edge’s facility for storage. In early July 2021, Imagine Children’s Museum volunteers cleaned the bones. It was a hot, long day of scrubbing and bone identification.
This has been an enjoyable process, as it is almost impossible to plan when assembling such a complex biological structure.
Bones, Bones and more Bones
Immersive Exhibits
The Imagine Children’s Museum has been a pretty familiar partner over the last few years for Edge Themed Environments. One of the earliest projects we did with them, was the train tunnel rock formation. While kids play in the train they are immersed into the experience of crawling and ducking through the rock tunnel.
The Dino Dig
The Dino Dig has been a longtime favorite for the kids. Here, children get to dig up dinosaur bones in the substrate. Other features include bones and crystals in the rock wall as well has a life size stegosaurus skeleton that takes center stage of the exhibit.
Restoration & Fabrication - From our shop, to your exhibit
Imagine Expansion - In progress!
A three-story building has been added to the museum, providing a whole new world of exhibits for the children to play on and learn from.
Kids will experience a locally inspired forest understory and canopy on the first floor as they climb between uniquely themed tree houses. Net tunnel bridges link the tree houses above, while kids can explore freely on the forest floor below.
Several Puget Sound exhibits will teach kids about local sea life in the second story. Highlighted exhibits will be a real grey whale skeleton that kids can crawl through, a live fish tank containing intertidal species, and an industrial loading dock-themed distribution center where children can sort packages on conveyor systems. The third floor will provide a cafeteria serving food from a revitalized ’60s Divco food truck. The cab of this truck will provide an area for kids to climb up inside for pictures and to play with the steering wheel.