Springs Preserve hosts "Exploring Trees Inside and Out"

LAS VEGAS, NV, June 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) Escape the summer heat for fun in the shade as the Spring Preserve welcomes the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation collaborative traveling exhibit Exploring Trees Inside and Out. Since January of 2008, Exploring Trees Inside and Out has hosted over 950,000 children, family members, and educators across the United States and will be on exhibit at the Springs Preserve Saturday, June 11 through September 5. Experience all the Origen Museum has to offer and climb inside our newest exhibit 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. daily.

"Exploring Trees Inside and Out is a great exhibit geared towards kids that allows the Springs Preserve to help connect the community with the outdoors and nature, even when the Mojave summer heat moves us inside," said Aaron Micallef, Curator of Exhibits.

This 2,500 square foot, larger-than-life, interactive exhibit gives kids and their parents the opportunity to experience trees as they never have before. Take a walk through an enlarged tree trunk and through the veins of leaves. Explore the sights, sounds and scents of trees from the bird's eye view on a giant rope canopy to the rush of the flow of water during photosynthesis and leave the exhibit with a new respect for trees and the amazing role they play in our every day lives.

While visiting the exhibit, children will be able to:

- Learn how to count tree rings to determine the age of a tree
- Use their senses to smell cinnamon, cedar, fruits and flowers, touch different bark textures, hear water flowing through a tree's veins and
roots and listen to the sounds of the animals that live in forests
- Crawl through a giant tree structure from stump to canopy and glide down a giant slide into a bed of leaves
- Climb inside a giant acorn to discover how the seed becomes a mighty oak tree
- Build creations in the wood workshop
- Explore the enchantment of photosynthesis
- Choose their favorite animal, insect or tree costume and soar over streams, above treetops and dance with the trees in the entertaining
"green screen" experience

Exploring Trees Inside and Out, a collaborative project of the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, is an interactive experience where fun and learning about trees and the natural environment connect. The exhibit is designed to help children, educators, and families discover nature through multiple perspectives and inspire them to develop personal connections with the natural world.

Springs Preserve Membership
Whether you're treating yourself or giving it as a gift, the Springs Preserve membership is the perfect way to share the Springs Preserve with family and friends and easy-to-purchase gift cards are available on-line or at the Springs Preserve ticketing office. All memberships include year-round access to the Springs Preserve (half-off admission to select special events), early hours entry to gardens and trails, discounts to classes and workshops, the gift shop, and the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck. Plus, a subscription to the member newsletter. There are a variety of gift options to choose from starting with an Individual membership ($25), a Family membership ($60) which includes two (2) adults and up to 6 children or grandchildren in same household ages 5 - 17 (children 4 and under are always free), or a Bronze Family membership ($100) which includes all member benefits plus extras including free stroller rental, preferred parking, and 2 free guest passes. Visit springspreserve.org for a list of additional donor options and details.

About the Springs Preserve
Located three miles from the famed Las Vegas Strip, the Springs Preserve is a 180-acre national historic site featuring botanical gardens, trails, historical structures, restored wetlands, wildlife exhibits, a child's play area and a 1,800-seat amphitheater. Indoor experiences include exhibition galleries dedicated to showcasing art and traveling exhibitions of local and national significance, on-site technologically advanced learning centers and interactive museum exhibits, and the Springs Cafe by Wolfgang Puck. The Springs Preserve also hosts seasonal special events including concerts, arts shows and holiday experiences. Visit springspreserve.org or call 702-822-7700. Follow us on-line via Facebook/Twitter/You Tube. Find us on Google Maps.

About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit, conservation and education organization of more than 1 million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

About Dimensional Educational Research Foundation
Dimensions Educational Research Foundation was formed in 1998 to study how science, math and literacy learning can be enhanced by the addition of more visual-spatial activities into classrooms and homes. For a number of years, the Foundation has conducted and collected research on how children best develop visual-spatial skills and how teachers and families can optimally support this development. Dimensions Educational Research Foundation's goal is to create and develop unique educational programming to 1) Help people better understand and appreciate the natural world by developing visual-spatial skills; and 2) Improve science, math and literacy learning through visual-spatial skills.

MEDIA CONTACT(S):
702-822-7737 / 702-822-7733
jim.johnson@springspreserve.org / dawn.barraclough@springspreserve.org