Kate Umbarger puts her hands on metal hand outlines that measure her pulse while causing a stick to strike a drum.
“I’m checking my heartbeat,” says the 10-year-old Thrasher Elementary School student.
“Moving to the Drum Beat” is one of dozens of activities included in the “Good for You: Healthy Fun on the Run” exhibit at the Creative Discovery Museum downtown. Kate was among a host of children from Thrasher Elementary and other guests invited to the exhibit’s grand opening Friday.
The exhibit’s content is all about health and wellness for children, said Dr. Jayne Griffin, the museum’s director of education. On display until May 9, the exhibit addresses childhood obesity issues in a child- and family-friendly way, Dr. Griffin said.
“We’re concerned about childhood obesity, diabetes and all of the problems it can cause later on in life,” she said.
The exhibit, the largest the museum has done, is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences and by a $300,000 contribution from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
“We’re very concerned about obesity among young people in Tennessee, so we’ve been spending money across the state trying to educate children about the value of good nutrition and exercising on a regular basis,” said Ron Harr, president of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
He noted that more than one-third of children ages 10 to 17 in Tennessee are obese.
The “Good for You” exhibit includes an interactive treehouse, a vegetable garden, a farmers’ market and a kitchen. There are also stationary bicycles, a tree where apples can be picked and a climbing wall.
Kate’s fourth-grade teacher, Raquel Newton, browsed by all the activities, watching as the children played.
“Impressive,” Ms. Newton said.
She asked Kate if she had read the directions above the “Moving to the Drum Beat” display, which asks visitors to run in place to see how the activity causes their heart rates to increase.
But by the time Ms. Newton asked, Kate had moved on to the next activity. Called “Balancing Act,” it includes scales that use weighted blocks to show how eating too much of some foods can make a person’s body out of balance, while physical activity can help restore balance.
“This is pretty cool,” Kate said.
The exhibit’s overall goal is to show children that having a healthy lifestyle can be fun, said Harry Schulson, the museum’s director.
“Children learn that it’s important to eat a healthy variety of foods and to lead an active lifestyle,” he said. “It’s about making healthy choices in the way they live and play.”