Discovery Center of Ocala presents its latest exhibit “Amazing Arthropods”

Alyssa Ferguson, left, helps Alison Fernandez, 3, Titus McClain, 1 1/2, and Marie Ferguson, 4, left to right, rock in a spider see saw at the Amazing Arthropods exhibit at the Discovery Center in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Amazing Arthropods will be on display through Dec. 30 at the Discovery Center and the exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Creep, crawl or fly into the new bug-centric exhibit! Kids and their parents will have a chance to learn about a variety of different insects at hands-on stations with fun activities. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

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Posted October 15, 2021 | By James Blevins
james@ocalagazette.com

They’re creepy! They’re crawly! And a lot of them are pretty gnarly!

They’re arthropods! —And kids love them.

The Discovery Center of Ocala’s newest exhibit, “Amazing Arthropods,” opened on Oct. 9, and the kids came out in droves on a Saturday morning to see the creepy crawlies in action.

Kate Messenger, manager of the Discovery Center, said that somewhere between 75 and 100 people came out on opening day, which is saying a lot for a classification of invertebrates she thinks have gotten kind of a bad rap.

“Everybody loves butterflies, dragonflies, that kind of thing,” explained Messenger, “but arthropods are so much more than that. They’re such a diverse classification. You have a whole range of animals, and I think they’re all amazing!”

Arthropods include the aforementioned butterflies and dragonflies, but the classification also includes many phyla and subphyla that contain spiders, scorpions, millipedes, shrimp, crabs, mantises, beetles, wasps, moths and flies, just to name a few.

“A lot of people think arthropods are interchangeable with insects. So, it’s really cool that people can make the connection that it’s more than just a grasshopper. It’s not just a butterfly. Crustaceans are arthropods, too,” said Messenger.

The center’s new exhibit, which runs through to Dec. 30, gives kids and their parents a chance to learn about a variety of different arthropods at hands-on stations, including a live bug zoo for viewing such creepy crawlers as a Malaysian Forest scorpion and a Goliath bird-eating tarantula.

Other activities include fossilized arthropods to examine, an insect creator station, a crustacean claw game, a metamorphosis puzzle game, a butterfly dress-up area and a larger-than-life beehive to climb on.

“There are little activities that are all based around arthropods,” Messenger explained. “We do a lot of research. We design everything, pull all the information [for each activity] and put it all together ourselves.”

The center, located on 701 N.E. Sanchez Ave., does four exhibits each year—developed in-house—using its 5,000-square foot exhibition hall on the second floor of its building. Each quarterly exhibit features a completely different theme.

Messenger said that “Amazing Arthropods” took roughly a year from conception to installation to pull off.

“That being said,” she added, “we’re usually planning multiple exhibits at a time because it’s an ongoing thing.”

Marion Rotary Duck Derby, Ocala Electric Utility, Brick City Pest Control, Fun4Ocala Kids and the Discovery Center Foundation are all sponsors of the current exhibit.

“Brick City Pest Control sponsored a little area with termite information and like…you can build a termite, which I thought was really funny and just perfect,” said Messenger. “They just got it.”

She also explained that the center is quite popular with parents who homeschool their children. Parents and teachers use exhibits like “Amazing Arthropods” as lesson plans or interactive field trips.

Visiting the center for the first time on Oct. 12, Elaine DeIorio McClain, who homeschools her daughter, Adelaide, 4, thinks the Discovery Center provides amazing opportunities for her children to engage with many of the key STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

“It does a great job of providing and teaching material through fun activities,” McClain said.

The Discovery Center offers an array of weekly science classes for ages 2 to 12, drop-in programs, Saturday programming and two summer camps.

“Here [at the Discovery Center] it’s hands on engagement,” said Messenger. “It’s not a work sheet. We’re really here to spark curiosity.”

For center hours, admission prices, members and family rates, call (352) 401-3900 or visit www.mydiscoverycenter.org.