The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is excited to announce the arrival of a new traveling exhibit: Mobilab. Mobilab is a hands-on exhibition centered around inventing, testing, and perfecting toy vehicles. “Research shows that active play is one of the best ways for children to learn about the world around them,” says Ari Morris, Director of Exhibits at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. “With Mobilab, they get to learn about physics, engineering, and the scientific method, all while having a ton of fun.”

Craft your own toy vehicle and then examine, measure, and weigh it. Test your invention with different challenges! Build the longest and the tallest vehicle you can. “What we try to do is to is give our visitors the opportunity to see themselves as scientists and engineers,” says Morris. “This exhibit helps them do exactly that. From the moment they put on a lab coat and start putting together different combinations of parts to design their own vehicle, they go beyond just learning about science; they are actually doing science.”

How well do they ride on the ramps? Will your creation make it past the rugged texture ramps? Can your vehicle race down a ramp and jump through a hoop? How will you design your vehicle to overcome the obstacles presented by stability, friction, and gravity? “The essence of the scientific method is that you need to be able to test an idea repeatedly and get the same results,” says Morris. “That’s what you do with Mobilab.