Last Saturday, our family had the opportunity to visit the Very Eric Carle exhibit at the Discovery Cube in Orange. The exhibit was based on Carle’s “Very” series, which introduces five special insects that embark on different adventures. Upon entering the exhibit, you feel as though you’ve been shrunk into the size of an insect found in one of the Eric Carle books. Pops of bold colors beckons you into each of the interactive installations.
The first major installation the kids were drawn to was a wall-sized image of a butterfly, set with a projector displaying colorful plastic shapes that enable little guests to customize their own butterfly wing pattern. As you walk further into the large space, tall blades of grass made of a soft flexible material, allowed children to leap inside and hide or crawl as they wished. Our young toddler was captivated by the create-your-own giant web-like structure, complete with large foam insect pieces and colorful ropes. The main attraction was a rotating light display projected onto the floor, featuring different foods that move along with you, and invites children to imagine themselves as the “hungry caterpillar.”
One of the last activities our children were engrossed by was the activity center, which allowed them to channel their own Eric Carle through creating with paper and coloring pencils. A video reel of Eric Carle himself, displayed the process and technique that went into the making of his endearing paper collage illustrations. Our children thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit, and all the opportunities to challenge their imagination. However, I would have to admit that I might have enjoyed it even more so, being an old Eric Carle fan myself.
