Kids explore the world at Discovery Museum

BANGOR – Children traveled the world Sunday without ever leaving Bangor.

The Maine Discovery Museum held its third Family Geography Day for parents and children to experience sights, sounds and tastes from every continent.

The day featured games and artifacts from around the world throughout the museum, as well as a snack bar with the theme of Your Daily Bread, where patrons could sample traditional breads, crackers, and spreads from several countries.

The Bangor Chinese School held an interactive Tai Chi demonstration in the lobby, followed by an Australian Outback Didgeridoo concert.

“It’s all very open,” museum education director Trudy Plummer said. “The kids can kind of flow.”

This was the third geography day the museum has held and each has been a success, Plummer said.

While huge winter coat sales and sunny weather may have kept some people away, a large crowd turned out Sunday afternoon.

“It’s been great,” Plummer said.

The event is sponsored in part by Maine Geographic Alliance and Newspapers in Education, which allows the museum to offer a variety of performances and activities at the price of regular admission.

Plummer added that many children are surprised to learn the similarities that other countries share, but are eager to learn about the differences, too.

By using as many authentic resources as possible, the children experience other cultures and traditions rather than being told about them. Sometimes that’s difficult in Maine, where there’s not as much diversity as can be found in larger cities.

“We try to be as authentic as we possibly can,” Plummer said. “The resources are here, you just have to kind of dig a little bit.”