Pacific Science Center at museum Saturday

MOSES LAKE — The Pacific Science Center will bring fossils and experiments in agriculture science to the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Saturday. The “Harvest Science” hands-on agriculture exhibit will be on display in the museum from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the “Fossil Time” live science shows at noon and 1 p.m.

It’s part of the museum’s Free Family Saturday program. “When donors go big so does Free Family Saturday,” wrote museum directors in the press release announcing the visit. The Pacific Science Center is a familiar visitor to Moses Lake schools, but this is its first visit to the museum.

The museum is located at 401 South Balsam St.

Ag science is about as science as it gets – everything about agriculture, from planting to harvest, illustrates scientific principles. The “Harvest Science” presentation, like other Science on Wheels programs, uses experiments and games to highlight the science behind apples, potatoes and wheat. Kids learn the difference between beneficial insects and pests, how machinery and technology impact work on the farm, what crops grow best in which soils, the impact of fertilizer on soils and other subjects.

All “Harvest Science” exhibits are in English and Spanish.

The “Fossil Time” program explains how fossils are created, and how scientists determine when they lived. (Hint: It’s got something to do radioactivity.) Children learn about the fossil record and the earliest known life.

Free Family Saturday is a longtime museum program, and is funded by donations from museum supporters. In fact, the museum’s entire community outreach program is supported by museum supporters.

The museum has a membership program and sponsorships, along with the annual “Feed the Mammoth” fundraising party each November. For 2017 museum directors added a fundraising yard sale.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columibabasinherald.com.