Heroes in a half shell! Ninja Turtles among summer exhibits at Omaha Children’s Museum

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Exhibit of Teenage Mutant Nonja Turstle at Omaha Children's Museum
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are spending the summer at the Omaha Children’s Museum.

Cowabunga dudes and dudettes! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are hanging out in Omaha this summer. Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michaelangelo call the Omaha Children’s Museum home during a special exhibit that helps teach life lessons and team-building skills.

“Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewer” is one of three new exhibits at the museum. “Children’s China: Celebrating Culture, Character and Confucius” and “S.T.E.A.M. Cave” are the other exhibits.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles take us underground to their home and training area, where kids of all ages (sometimes, 50-somethings enjoy taking in fun exhibits, too) can hang out in the turtles’ lair, playing games and taking part in activities that include learning basic computer coding. How about aiming a Nerf-style pizza-throwing machine at targets in a window?

Leonardo enjoys a slice of pizza in the turtles' lair.
Leonardo enjoys a slice of pizza in the turtles’ lair.

Among other activities, children can test their agility by navigating their way through a nylon rope maze. There was no way this old guy was going to attempt it. I’ll leave that for a nephew or niece on a future visit.

Rope maze of Turtle exhibit
Who’s game to work through the rope maze?

The Turtles exhibit runs through Sept. 2. The traveling exhibit is a production of the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and Nickelodeon studio.

While children are visiting Omaha’s museum, they can travel halfway around the world and see how Chinese children live with “Children’s China: Celebrating Culture, Character and Confucius.” The St. Louis-based traveling exhibit offers Americans an opportunity to learn about present-day life in the world’s most populated nation through a series of interactive displays. The exhibit highlights the teachings of Confucius and how they affect everyday life in China.

Chinese gates tend to note an entrance to a special area.
Chinese gates tend to note an entrance to a special area.

Want to know what a typical school day is like? Visit a school room and see the tools students and teachers use to learn.

A replica of a Chinese classroom.
A replica of a Chinese classroom.

Homelife is highlighted with a replica of a Chinese residence, as well as a marketplace. In the end, not much differentiates a Chinese youth’s life from an American’s life. Families seek a safe and comfortable home.

Sofa, TV and dining area inside a Chinese home.
Home sweet home.

Pandas at play

If you love pandas, you will really, really love the exhibit highlighting life on a panda reserve. Resembling an actual park, China has reserves located around the country that include play areas for the black and white-colored bears. Visitors can watch actual video of pandas playing on the equipment.

Stuffed pandas on top of a wooden slide representative of ones found on reserves
These pandas look like they’d rather rest than play on the slides.

The S.T.E.A.M. Cave is Children’s Museum’s newest permanent exhibit. The science center’s learning lab will feature programs in conjunction with NASA. S.T.EA.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math – all important aspects of education and overall learning. S.T.E.A.M. incudes 10 interactive exhibits.

If kids want a break from the physical activities, they can hang out in Curiosity Cavern, which features books, maps and other activities.

Curiosity Cave allows children to read or play at their leisure.
Curiosity Cavern allows children to read or play at their leisure.

Of course, the Omaha Children’s Museum has its regular displays and activities, including Imagination Playground, Tinker Lab and Walker Tire Service Center. For some of us older kids, we can take comfort in knowing that the toys from Zooland have found a permanent home.  The animal-designed slide and playthings were stalwarts at Richman Gordman stores before being removed in the 1990s.

Zooland is back! The play area has a permanent home at the museum.
Zooland is back! The play area has a permanent home at the museum.

The new exhibits add to the already impressive attractions at the museum. To learn more about the museum, its exhibits and admission, please visit www.ocm.org.

Disclaimer: We are partnering with the Omaha Children’s Museum as part if its Ambassadorship program. However, all views and opinions are ours.