Guests are invited to climb aboard on an imaginative adventure featuring everyone’s favorite train engine beginning Oct. 4, 2014
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2014) – The world’s most beloved blue engine rolls into Discovery Cube OC just in time for the holiday season on October 4, 2014.Thomas & Friends®: Explore the Rails is an interactive, hands-on exhibit, and is locally sponsored by PBS SoCal. The exhibit is set to run through January 4, 2015.
Featuring the favorite engines and destinations from Thomas & Friends, the STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) -focused exhibit seeks to engage children and families in foundational skills that foster STEM literacy through playful learning experiences. The exhibit incorporates foundational STEM practices that encourage thinking mathematically, making comparisons, experimenting to solve problems using a variety of methods and tools, thinking creatively and reflecting on actions and results.
Inside the Exhibit:
◾Climb into Thomas’ cab and explore the engine’s inner workings. Flip levers and investigate other moveable parts that trigger train noises such as braking, whistles and steam.
◾Fix Percy’s wobbly wheel by removing and replacing parts and experimenting to find a combination of wheels, rods and bolts that work.
◾Explore the favorite Island of Sodor destinations including: Tidmouth Sheds, Brendam Docks and the Sodor Search & Rescue Station on an over-sized Thomas Wooden Railway train table.
◾Work with old and new friends loading luggage, livestock and other freight into the coaches of two train cars.
◾Collaborate with others to get Percy moving by loading coal into his coal box and filling his tank with water from a water tower.
◾Suit up as the conductor to exchange money and sell tickets to other visitors taking a ride on the train.
◾Wander through a Thomas & Friends retrospective featuring model engines from the original live action series produced in London, copies of the original drawings and manuscripts from the Rev. W. Awdry, the creator of Thomas & Friends, and a collection of memorabilia documenting the history and evolution of Thomas & Friends through books, television, and toys.
Doors open to the public on October 4, 2014. Thomas & Friends: Explore the Railsis included with general admission fees. Tickets can be purchased at Discovery Cube Orange County or online at www.discoverycube.org/oc. General admission prices are as follows: adult ($16.95), senior ($12.95), and children ages 3-14 ($12.95).
About Thomas & Friends®
Thomas the Tank Engine™ was created by a father for his son nearly 70 years ago and today is enjoyed by families in more than 185 territories and in 30 languages. The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Children embark on adventures with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and teamwork. Thomas & Friends is the #1 preschool toy license in the US, according to The NPD Group, Inc., and makes tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS® and Sprout® in the US and on Treehouse and Télé-Québec in Canada and with downloadable episodes available through iTunes. For more information, please visit Thomas and Friends website.