Grossology must-see family fun at Discovery Center, Burpee Museum through Jan. 2

From press release

Looking for a way to entertain the kids during the holiday season? Introduce them to the stinky, crusty and slimy fun of “Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body,” on display through Jan. 2 at Discovery Center and Burpee Museum. Explore why your body produces mushy, oozy, crusty, scaly and stinky gunk.

Based on the best-selling book Grossology, this exhibition uses sophisticated animatronics and exhibits to tell you the good, the bad and the downright ugly about runny noses, body odor and much more. Take a “Tour du Nose” to explore 10 nasal features, including how your snoot acts as an air filter, a smell sensor and a mucus producer. Mimic the build-up of acid indigestion by causing the “Burp Machine” to release a giant belch. Explore the role of the kidney in a virtual reality experience in “Urine: The Game.” Take a ride on the GI slide, climb a large-scale replica of human skin, and discover other mysterious ways your body’s biology does what it needs to do to keep you healthy.

Admission to Grossology is $5 plus $7 admission to either Burpee or Discovery Center; $3 for members of either museum; $4 for Grossology only or $11 for Grossology plus either Burpee or Discovery Center; and $15 for both museums and Grossology.

The Grossology exhibit is created and produced by Advanced Exhibits, a division of Advanced Animations, LLC., in collaboration with Science World British Columbia and Grossology author Sylvia Branzei. As a teacher, writer, curriculum designer and microbiologist, Branzei explains the concept of Grossology as a learning tool. “This is science in disguise,” she says. “If we teach students in their own words, they’ll understand better and actually learn something.”

Grossology is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA). For more information, call (815) 963-6769 or visit the Grossology tour website at grossologytour.com.

Discovery Center is inside Riverfront Museum Park, 711 N. Main St., Rockford. General admission to the museum is: $7 adults, $7 children (ages 2 to 17) and free to children younger than 2 and museum members. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m., Sunday. For additional information, call (815) 963-6769 or log on to discoverycentermuseum.org.

Established in 1941, the Burpee Museum of Natural History is the home of Jane, a rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, and one of the preeminent natural history museums in the nation. Its mission is to inspire all people to engage in a lifetime of learning about our natural world. Burpee is at 737 N. Main St. Call (815) 965-3433 or log on to burpee.org.