Interactives
After walking through the main doors of the museum, the first area visitors encounter contains a variety of interactive exhibits encouraging exploration and experimentation. These "interactives" explore the science of sound, air, and motion. Here's some of what you'll find:

	Sandsational : With the Sandsational Sand Pendulum, children can experiment with pendulum motion and art at the same time. The pendulum container is first filled with sand. Once it is set in motion, fascinating designs are formed as the sand runs out of the container. Gravity Well : The Gravity Well remains one of the most popular exhibits at science centers and children's museums throughout the country. Visitors learn about the principles of gravity and inertia as they roll balls of different weight to spiral down into the well.
	Tuning Fork Table : Visitors can experiment with sound vibration at the Tuning Fork Table. A number of tuning forks and accessories are provided which teach about the principles of frequency and resonance. Glockenspiel : Our over-sized Glockenspiel is a fun way to explore the world of music. Kids can learn their musical notes and play songs using the colorful, easy-to-read charts provided.
	Stretch-It : Visitors can stretch rubber bands over the Stretch-It pegboard to form interesting patterns and designs. This exhibit is a great way for children to learn their shapes and, for more advanced visitors, accompanying charts provide challenging puzzles. Whisper Dishes : Kids learn how sound waves can be channeled as they whisper into funnels and listen to their friends across the room!
	Air Time : Visitors try to balance ping pong balls on a cushion of air provided by hand-held blowers. A series of accompanying "launch tubes" help teach about how air can be directed to produce more power. Harmonograph : Using the swinging oscillations of a pendulum table, a harmonograph creates amazing spiral images on paper that visitors can take home with them.

Kids Zone
Caution lights, street signs, and chain link fencing all help to give this area a construction-zone feel. After entering the exhibit, children will have plenty of opportunity for role-playing as they don a construction hat, safety goggles, and work apron. The back and side walls consist of tool benches, baskets of wood, and tools. Children can create sculptures from all sizes of plumbing pipes. Children are provided with a myriad of different building kits such as Lego's, erector sets, wood blocks, pixel blocks, gears, etc. to construct a variety of structures.


Imagine That
Creativity abounds in this creative arts center! Children create projects with recycled and recyclable materials donated by individuals and companies from across Connecticut. This area features a variety of self-directed activities as well as instructional programming with community volunteers and museum staff. In addition, a variety of classes for adults and children are provided in this area.


ESPN Play Your Way
One of the major attractions of the museum is ESPN's technological wonder, the Play Your Way exhibit. By using advanced green-screen technology, kids can role-play as their favorite sports heroes and heroines, with an exciting backdrop provided courtesy of digital imagery. Family and friends can watch the action from the bleachers and view the final product on the monitors provided.

In the newest addition to our ESPN exhibit area, kids can sit at a re-creation of ESPN's Sportsdesk! There they can role-play as sports anchors, reading the news from an actual teleprompter! For an additional fee, kids can even bring home a DVD copy of their broadcast (inquire at giftshop).


Dolls Of The World
Beautifully lighted showcases house our museum's collection of 300 international dolls gathered from around the world. Children can view the traditional attire worn by peoples from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.


Cyberlab
The lab's fleet of PC workstations, connected to the Internet via broadband service, are used to enrich the museum's field trip and educational programs in countless topics, from astronomy to zoology. In addition, a number of IBM-donated toddler workstations provide a fun and friendly interface for our youngest museum visitors.

Waterplay
Bubbles have proven irresistible to children's museum visitors of all ages and Imagine Nation's Waterplay room taps into this appeal and excitement. A giant bubble machine engages children in open-ended exploration and experimentation. A waterplay table and other water-based activities offer an arena for cooperative play and a jumping off point for programs related to the properties of water and issues of environmental science.


Greenhouse
Volunteer gardeners tend the museum's varied collection of plants and advise young visitors on the potting, care and feeding of plants they can grow at home. The greenhouse provides a setting for educational programs related to ecology, biology, botany and conservation of natural resources.


Jungle Theme Playscape
The Playscape area offers children an engaging place to exercise both body and mind. While they explore the nature-themed tunnels, slide, and climbing wall sections, children develop their motor skills, sense of balance, and spatial orientation. At the same time, active play engages their imagination, helping to expand their sense of creative exploration and ability to interact with others.


"Main Event" Classroom / Birthday Party Room
From field trip activities to museum workshops, our Main Event room offers a bright, cheerful, and more secluded space in which to learn.

This room is also perfect for our museum birthday parties featuring a colorful backdrop of clowns and castles.


Space Exhibit
ESPN has again teamed with the Imagine Nation Museum in Bristol to create an exciting and educational exhibit for area children. The ESPN Space Theater on the museum's third floor will feature a four-minute Blu Ray video that educates children on space and satellites and then offers a launch simulation experience [click for enlarged photo].

NASA Space Shuttle Commander Ken Ham, whose STS-124 Discovery flight is featured in the simulation, visited the museum in September. After previewing the exhibit he commented: "I'll never find the words to describe how cool the launch pad is. But, you get the sensation here."

ESPN created the sensation by painting the room black, hanging six large, HD monitors from the ceiling and installing surround sound audio that shakes the walls at launch. Volunteers from ESPN conceptualized, designed and built the theater. High definition footage was provided by NASA and the video was produced by ESPN. It also includes Google Earth video that takes the viewer from space to Bristol. ESPN anchor Trey Wingo provides the educational voice over.