A traveling exhibit has stopped at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry to help teach children about human biology, from digestion and respiration to the senses and immune responses — but it's not as clean and clinical as you may think.
"Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body" examines our bodily functions through hands-on games, animatronics and smell stations. Aiming to challenge taboo conversations about bodily functions, the exhibition embraces the strange in order to get its message across.
"It's about the human body and gross things like burping, pooping and snot,” said MOSI Director of Education Janet White.
“It teaches ways that you can take care of your body and even though those [processes] are gross, they're actually helping you."
Visitors enter the exhibit through a human mouth and are greeted by a menagerie of peculiar characters.
Among the standout attractions are Nigel Nose-It-All, an imposingly large animatronic that teaches you all about mucus and its functions, and a rock climbing wall made to look like human flesh, complete with warts, hairs and wounds as footfalls.
“My favorite part of the exhibit is probably the snot faucet and the skin rock wall,” said fifth grader Daisy. “The rock wall is fun and the snot faucet is just funny.”
The exhibit is inspired by the children's best-selling book “Grossology: The Science of Really Gross Things” by Sylvia Branzei.
Children can learn about the science behind burping, the process of digestion, and even the physics of farts through various unique stations.
“I like the pump up-and-down soda can,” said third grader Michaela. “It's hard to lift it up and then push it down, you have to use your whole body weight, so it’s like exercising.”
“Honestly, Grossology is one of my personal favorites, because it is just so much fun,” said White. “(The students) don't even realize how much they're learning about the human body because they're having so much fun doing it.”
"My favorite thing in here is the rock climbing (skin wall),” said third grader Olivia. “I like how I can get so high and then jump off."
Through humor, education, and interactive fun, families looking for a unique outing can take part and start a dialogue about what makes us human.
“I think they love the gross-out factor,” said White. “They come out [of the exhibition] and they're making the burping noises and the farting noises, and they're just having a ball.”
Grossology will be on display at MOSI through Jan.y 5.
