By Sara Wiercinski
A new interactive exhibit at The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum celebrates the role of insects in the ecosystem. Children think it’s a blast dressing up as bees to collect pollen and matching insect species to host flowers.
Meanwhile these kids are learning ecology.
Deborah Baxter is Exhibits & Maintenance Manager at Wonderscope. She originally pitched the project, later to be named Pollination Station.
“Wonderscope’s sensory garden has native plants that attract bees, and occasionally I heard parents concerned about stings,” she said.
“We wanted to show the fun side of bees. Show kids (and their parents) not to be scared.”
According to Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for healthy ecosystems and stable global food supplies, one in three bites of human food relies on pollination from birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, flies or small animals.
Habitat loss, use of pesticides, competition from invasive species and climate change threaten many of these vital species.
Baxter – whose first name Deborah is Hebrew for “bee” – self describes as “a bit bee obsessed.” She took note when a Salt Lake City children’s museum opened an interactive pollination exhibit, and was inspired to adapt a version unique for Kansas City.
In fall 2024 Wonderscope presented the concept to Green Pest Solutions.
The Topeka-based pest management company has worked with the museum for two years. Staff host quarterly Bug Club events along with Bug Week in mid-September, culminating with the release of hundreds of monarch butterflies.
Cassidy Roberson, Green Pest Solutions’ Director of Customer Experience, said she and her colleagues are proud to be involved in hands-on learning experiences.
“We love seeing children light up as they learn,” she said. “We’re honored to be part of bringing that joy to life.”
Baxter spent the winter and spring constructing elements of the exhibit by hand. Sunflower stems sprouted from painted PVC pipe, while oversized petals popped out of EVA foam, coated with layers of plastic to make it weather resistant.
On June 27, the museum celebrated the exhibit and partnership with a ribbon cutting.
Carlos Corredor, Wonderscope’s Director of Development & Communications gave a tour on a recent morning where children attending WonderCamp were playing at Pollination Station.
“The kids are building knowledge through movement, pretend play, hand-eye coordination, cause and effect. There’s also literacy in the signage.”
“And you can see it on their faces–they enjoy being in the space.”
Originally housed in an old elementary school in Shawnee, Wonderscope relocated to its new, fully accessible building at 433 E. Red Bridge Rd. in October 2020.
The museum hosts 200,000 guests annually with 15,000 square feet of indoor STEAM exhibit space aimed for children up to age 10. The site’s half-acre outdoor campus reflects Kansas City’s urban, suburban, rural and agricultural spaces.
“However often a child visits the museum, the experience is different,” said Corredor. “Their skills change, so they interact and approach concepts differently each time.”
Wonderscope exhibits include a grocery store and farmers market, WaterWorks–inspired by the City of Fountains–an activity center, tot spot, weaving station, and design lab sponsored by Meta complete with tinker station, 3D printer and coding activities.
Other Kansas City-area STEM organizations support Wonderscope through direct programming: Children’s Mercy, Henderson Engineering and a soon-to-be-announced partner on a nutrition concept.
Corredor predicts more third-party partner programming for the museum in the future.
“This is truly how many area businesses want to show up in the community,” he said. “Plus it gives staff the opportunity to volunteer and interact with young children.”
Daily admission to Wonderscope is $16 for ages 2 and up. Children under 2 are free. Annual memberships start at $150. The museum’s WonderFun program offers discounted admission and camp scholarships to families in need, along with free field trips for Title I schools.
The museum is open until 7 pm on Thursdays through Labor Day.
Learn more at wonderscope.org.
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