Fun times in hard times

Local museums offer educational and interactive exhibits

Banyon Tarrant, who's almost 2, shows his mother plastic insects at the CSI exhibit.  Banyon and his 4-year-old brother Liden, came to the museum for the afternoon.

Creepy crawly creatures with six or more legs have earned the names of “bug” and “pest” for a reason.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “to bug,” means to bother or annoy, and “pester” means to harass with petty irritations.

Mosquitoes bite, wasps sting and cockroaches –– well, they just freak people out. But it turns out not all insects are such a nuisance.

The Florida Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibit that’s all about how some of them can help solve crimes.

CSI: Crime Scene Insects premiered on May 8 and will be open through Jan. 17. Admission is $6.50 per adult or $6 for Florida residents, $5.50 for seniors and Florida college students, $4 for children 3 to 12, and it’s free for museum members, children 2 and under and UF students with a valid Gator1 ID.  

The exhibit is housed in the new museum building next to the Philips Center, at the corner of SW 34^th Street and Hull Road, which boasts the modern marvel that is air conditioning.

Official weather reports indicate no break in sight from this summer’s scorching heat, and when it’s so hot that pool water no longer offers relief, it’s understandable that one might retreat inside and resort to electronic entertainment until it cools down.

A visit to the CSI exhibit offers a sheltered alternative Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The display includes photographs, diagrams, interactive devices and even live maggots to show how forensic scientists use their role in the decay of a human body to solve murders.

Everything is set up on a series of wooden structures filled with cutouts, reminiscent of what a life-size, horizontal Jenga tower might look like.

Jason Debottis, a museum security guard who helped to set up the exhibit, explained that it’s designed to represent a puzzle, and each display represents different stages in “solving the case.”

Next to the CSI area, the museum is hosting another feature exhibit called the Discovery Room. It’s open from June 21 to Aug. 22 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Discovery Room also has different scheduled special theme programs throughout the week. For a complete list, visit the museum’s Web site at http://flmnh.ufl.edu. It’s a “hands-on” exhibit centered on Florida’s ecosystems.