Mississippi Aquarium to bring traveling exhibit to MCM-Meridian

GLENDA SANDERS |, The Meridian Star, Miss.
·2 min read

May 23—The Mississippi Children's Museum-Meridian is teaming up with the Mississippi Aquarium Wednesday to give local children the thrill of seeing an ocean-dwelling animal first hand.

From 11 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., representatives will bring the Gulfport-based Mississippi Aquarium's outreach program, Aquarium in Motion, to the children's museum.

This will be the first time the Mississippi Aquarium has brought its traveling program to the Meridian children's museum.

"MCM-Meridian consistently seeks out new and captivating ways to involve our community and foster partnerships with external organizations," said Rebecca Parker, assistant director of marketing and public relations. "This program will offer guests a fun and educational experience as they delve into the fascinating world of sea animals in collaboration with the Mississippi Aquarium."

Suitable for children of all ages, participating in the Aquarium in Motion program is included in the cost of the museum's $10 general admission and museum membership.

On Wednesday, the Mississippi Aquarium will bring its travel trailer and set up three to four separate interactive stations outside of the museum.

Stations will include an aquatic cart with a coral catshark, a small, slender shark with spots like a leopard and elongated, cat-like eyes, familiar to visitors to the aquarium's touch pools. At a penguin station, participants will get to meet one of the aquarium's African penguin residents and learn why the flightless bird is so popular despite being on the endangered species list in the wild. There also will be a reptile station, where guests will learn about snakes, turtles and other reptiles and their unique characteristics, as well as a mobile classroom with artifacts.

Guests interested in participating in the Aquarium in Motion program will need to check-in at the museum's front desk, Parker said. The museum will monitor crowd size to make sure all participating children have a pleasant experience at the interactive stations.

This isn't the only chance visitors to MCM-Meridian will get to see animals up close this summer. On Monday, June 10, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson will bring its Go Wild outreach program to Meridian as part of the children's museum's Magic Monday: The Great Outdoors event.

Parker said museum guests and children registered for Camp Creative will get the chance to participate in the 45-minute Go Wild naturalist program, which will feature interactive presentations with live animals native to Mississippi.

Contact Glenda Sanders at gsanders@themeridianstar.com.