The Science Museum's exhibit philosophy directly parallels the museum's mission to "Turn on the science" and to invite learners of all ages to experience their changing world through science.

Exhibits developed by the Science Museum combine traditional object displays with the innovative activity-centered experiences of science and technology centers, reflecting the dual nature of the Museum and its approach to science education. This blending of tradition and innovation enables the Science Museum to serve a diverse and wide-ranging audience.

Two central themes lie at the foundation of our exhibition philosophy:

• Exhibits are most effective when they present science in a multidisciplinary context of human values and cultures.
• Children and adults learn about science by doing science.

At the Science Museum of Minnesota we believe that exhibits should:

• Provide environments that nurture visitor curiosity, encourage their sense of play, and reward participation and experimentation with understanding.
• Make objects "come alive" and help visitors build connections between those objects and associated ideas, issues, and phenomena.
• Allow for change and modification to accommodate the changing perspectives audiences and new scientific discoveries.
• Involve visitors informally but directly in the experimental process of science (playing with apparatus, forming hypotheses, setting up simple experiments, observing results, and forming conclusions).
• Engage visitors in considering issues and ethical questions related to science and relevant to their lives.

The Science Museum of Minnesota uses varied exhibit techniques to accommodate different visitor interests and learning styles:

Many exhibits in all these categories are designed to enhance learning by stimulating conversation and social interaction, increasing visitor involvement with the exhibits.

The accuracy and timeliness of content in the Science Museum's exhibits are fundamental responsibilities of a planning team that includes exhibit personnel, curatorial staff, outside consultants and advisors. To extend their educational impact, we supplement our exhibits with a variety of continuing education programs, school outreach programs, and classroom curriculum materials in both traditional and electronic media.