Youth of all ages marvel at the inner workings of nature, the structure of human creations and the forces that bind all of this together. ScienceWorks in the Dow Science Center at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis enables youth to explore all these and more through hands-on activities. Dedicated to the natural and physical sciences, ScienceWorks features five areas.

In Nature’s Backyard visitors can make exciting discoveries in a familiar setting. The Backyard features a real Indiana fresh water pond and an interactive watershed table. Animals that might live underground in any backyard are the subject of the underground crawl through area. Youth can pretend to be earthworms as they crawl through the “dirt” and explore the habitats of 12 different underground animals.

Beyond this area, the 20-foot, artificial limestone rock wall affords three distinct climbing challenges that require adults to help support children on belay.