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Museum shows it's easy being green

The Kids Gallery open house is on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Surrey Museum.
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The Kids Gallery's open house will be this Saturday at the Surrey Museum.

Does sustainability sound like fun for kids?

The new Kids Gallery at the Surrey Museum makes a go of it, with big ideas and green activities – including an indoor tree fort that rises to the ceiling.

The interactive gallery helps children learn about challenging concepts such sustainability, climate change, carbon footprint and energy conservation.

Illustrated characters Alisha, Blaze and Stella the Jay explain the concepts with buttons, levers, switches and gears to manipulate.

“It’s like nothing else in the Lower Mainland,” said Greg Yellenik, Curator of Exhibits for the museum. “Kids can do safe experiments about electricity and even discover how many chocolate bars equal the energy in a bucket of coal. There’s a huge tree fort for climbing, an energy bike for riding and lots more.”

Families are invited to attend the grand opening on Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 17710 56A Ave.

The open house includes visits by clown Zox of the Forest and The Re-enactors, a puppet show and refreshments.

“Sustainability is not a new idea,” said Yellenik. “Surrey pioneers were very good at the Three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They had to be.”

The gallery will be refreshed through Fall 2016 with changing themes of energy, water and agriculture.

The future expansion of the Museum, expected in 2017, will see this Kids Gallery triple in size, adding more educational, stimulating and fun activities.

The event on Saturday is free and for all age.

Beginning Oct. 11, the Surrey Museum will be open on Sundays from 12-5 p.m. Admission is sponsored by the Friends of the Surrey Museum. For more information, call 604-592-6956 or click here. Follow the Museum on Twitter at @ASurreyMuseum