We need to have one of
these in every city in the country. Kids would find science fascinating and I'm sure interest would soar. Maybe the US wouldn't be lagging behind in science and engineering. Kids get bored quickly in a classroom setting in front of a dry textbook listening to the drone of a monotone lecture.
I was able to learn some new things I wasn't aware of, even about electricity. I found particularly interesting the hysteresis motor and the automobile differential mechanism. The place is very noisy, as could be expected with a few hundred kids running around inside; they have a couple of seats across from each other in an open area, about 50 ft. apart, with the wall behind each seat shaped to form a parabolic reflector. Two people, each sitting in one of the seats, can comfortably talk to each other in a normal voice across the open space through all the noise.
The displays are mostly built on-site, and many could easily be constructed in a minimally equipped workshop. This would be an excellent place for a science teacher to visit, take a few notes and photos, and then construct some of the displays for the class room back home.
Explore the exhibits
here (many come up "unavailable" but a few are currently viewable).