Science museum opens

Bow Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:46:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

It may not yet be apple season, but visitors will soon be returning to Contoocook’s Gould Hill Orchard as the Little Nature Museum will be opening for the season.

The museum, run completely by volunteers, gives visitors a chance to learn about science with a hands-on focus.

“We started with a bunch of collections, and that can be pretty boring,” said Little Nature Museum Director Sandra Martin. “I like to remove things from the collections and have something to engage the visitor, instead of just reading the label.”

Although the museum is closed from the end of fall to the beginning of spring, Martin keeps busy planning the season’s programs.

One thing Martin hopes to improve for this season is to get more visitors to visit the museum before late summer.

“What I’d love to have is more visitors come earlier in the season. They all come during the apple-picking season, and they don’t get the most out of their visit,” Martin said. “That type of individual one-on-one experience is more likely to happen earlier in the season.”

Martin became interested in science while at the Museum of Science in Boston, where she learned to convey her passion for the subject.

“The Museum of Science is what got me inspired, and it was a hands-on experience. It got me to want to go into the field of science, and to start my own nature center,” she said. “The hands-on experience that I’ve had stayed with me all my life.”

Hopkinton’s Little Nature Museum may be smaller than some of the other area museums, but Martin said she would put the experience at her venue up against any other in the state.

“There aren’t too many places where you can get the experience that you can get here,” she said. “I don’t like the idea of having a one-size-fits-all museum.”

The status of Gould Hill Orchard is somewhat up in the air, Martin said she hopes the Rotary’s plan to sell shares could lead to one of the busiest summers the museum has seen.

“This year is going to be different. We’re trying to get a number of organizations to have different set ups for our Naturefest (in the fall). I hope by that time, the Rotary will be in the process of selling shares,” said Martin. “The number of visitors may surpass anything we’ve had in the past, maybe just out of curiosity.”

Until new programs begin, children can learn all about archeology on Saturday, April 19, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., when the Hopkinton Library hosts “Dig into the Past: The Mystery of the Sites.”

Sheila Charles, historic and archaeological research consultant and Strawbery Banke archeologist, will present a hands-on children’s program.

In addition, the museum is taking part in “Discover Wild New Hampshire,” at Fish and Game on Hazen Drive, Concord, on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, visit www.littlenaturemuseum.org or call 746-6121.

Hopkinton News : Little Nature Museum

Science museum opens