(Columbus) – Get ready to explore with Dora and Diego at COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in the new exhibit Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore! The exhibit features beloved characters Dora and Diego from Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, along with their friends Boots, Map, Backpack, Isa, Tico, and of course Swiper, now in their own exhibit for your preschooler to explore as they learn and play along.
This new, interactive traveling exhibit, created by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in partnership with Nickelodeon, and presented by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, will open from September 24, 2011 – January 8, 2012. The exhibit is presented locally by Giant Eagle with support from Frisch’s Restaurants and Columbus Academy.
Dora and Diego — Let’s Explore! is based on the animated children’s series, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! Dora the Explorer follows the adventures of the 7-year-old Latina heroine Dora and her friends in an imaginative, tropical world. Go, Diego, Go! stars Dora’s 8-year-old cousin Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer who protects animals and their environment. The exhibit gives children and their families the opportunity to go into the worlds of Dora and Diego to engage in problem-solving and active play. Young children play along as they join an adventure and learn how to solve problems, be a good friend, and care for animals and the environment. Spanish vocabulary is incorporated throughout the exhibit to introduce Spanish-speaking skills to preschool children.
Dora the Explorer is a ground-breaking children’s series that draws kids into an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques in every episode. Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore! carries the play-along theme throughout the exhibit as children are encouraged to actively play while they solve problems, share and learn about the natural world.
The exhibit is funded in part by a grant from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation’s support of Dora and Diego — Let’s Explore! provides underwriting for preschool field trips to the museum for youth populations identified as most at risk for childhood obesity. Information about healthy, active lifestyles is available to parents via the exhibit’s Family Guide and website, and free school curriculum is available to teachers as well.
Related Experiences and Programs:
Celebrate Get Active Play Day, a celebration of National Play Day at COSI September 24, 2011. In celebration of the importance of play, come with your family to play parachute games, run in a three-legged race, do a water-balloon toss, go on a scavenger hunt, race through an obstacle course, and more! Activities will be geared toward families with children 10 years and younger and will be focused on outdoor, active play, especially activities that families will be able to repeat and/or extend at home. Some other activities include: cornhole, making and taking kites, hula hoops, jump ropes, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, Frisbees, etc.
Each day a special “Discovery Space Camp” will be held in the Dora and Diego – Let’s Explore exhibit area. The “camp” lasts 10-15 minutes and is included with admission. Children and their caregivers can learn more about stars, the constellations and what it takes to explore space.
Meet Dora and Diego in person! Dora the Explorer will be at COSI on Saturday, November 19, 2011 from Noon-4pm and Diego will be at COSI on Saturday, December 31, 2011 from Noon-4pm. Character appearances will be free with COSI admission.
Guests who love the themes explored in Dora can hold their birthday party at COSI and celebrate in style as a Rainforest Explorer! Put on your explorer hat and come prepared for an adventure into the world of bugs, birds and the rainforest! This party is available from October 1, 2011 through January 8, 2012. Visit cosi.org for more information about birthday parties at COSI.
Dora and Diego—Let’s Explore! will be open through January 8, 2012. Be sure to bring your little explorer to play along with Dora, Diego and their friends so they too can say “We did it!”
Favorite friends and places from episodes of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! are incorporated in the exhibit including:
The Purple Planet
Visit the Purple Planet with Dora and Boots and explore a Home on the Purple Planet.
Rocket Ship
Dora’s outer-space friends want to go back to the Purple Planet and need help getting there. Aboard the Rocket Ship, preschoolers are invited to put on a spacesuit, pilot the ship, and test their memory with images of colorful planets as they help Dora and Boots take their outer-space friends home.
Constellations
On the way to the Purple Planet, Dora and Boots encounter some interesting star groupings. Children and their families are invited to help identify the patterns made out of stars by inserting star shapes to light-up a constellation.
Isa’s Garden
Dora’s friend Isa the Iguana demonstrates how to take care of flowers, plants, and animals. Preschool visitors can tour Isa’s Garden to pick flowers, interact with bird, butterfly, and insect puppets, and pretend-fly with toddler-sized bird and butterfly wings. Even the littlest visitors will enjoy smelling the flowery scents and picking soft-fabric posies.
Tico’s Tree and Car
Dora is a good friend to Tico the squirrel and young visitors are invited to be a good friend to Tico too. Tico needs help picking nuts from the tree for a family picnic. Children can play along with Swiper to swipe the nuts and watch as they shoot up and over to fill Tico’s basket. Tico’s car is in need of fuel! Visitors can help Tico fill up his car with nuts so he can begin his journey.
Pirate Ship
In the Pirate Ship, preschoolers can join the Pirate Piggies crew and dress like a pirate to pretend-play along sailing the ship and divvying up the treasure. Visitors can raise and lower the Pirate Piggies’ flag, look through the telescopes to spot the treasure chest and then divvy up the coins into the Pirate Piggies’ banks and help them share the treasure.
Animal Rescue Center
Young children can practice caring and helping rainforest animals in Diego’s Animal Rescue Center. Preschoolers can be an animal rescuer, like Diego, as they diagnose and address an animal’s problem from the ‘Scanner’ bed, bandage and apply cold packs at the ‘First-Aid Station,’ and brush stuffed animals at the ‘Care Station.’
Rainforest Maze
Preschoolers will explore a rainforest to locate rainforest animals. Active play is encouraged as children swing across the Bobo Brothers’ monkey bars, climb or crawl through a fallen tree, climb across Jaguar Mountain, and jump or hop across the River Rocks.