From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Family-Friendly Exhibits

South Florida Parenting

Check out the newest exhibits at local attractions and museums for families and kids.

THIS MONTH'S TOP PICK
LET THE GAMES BEGIN: THE ART OF COMPETITION AND JUST PLAIN FUN
Aug. 8-Nov. 30. This exhibition features works of art related to games -- from fierce competition to simple pleasure. The exhibit is divided into four sections: The Olympics, Ball Games, Games of Skill and Chance and Just Plain Fun, representing the cultures of China, the United States, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, and Japan. It's a perfect addition to a month of Olympics. Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach. www.norton.org; 561-832-5196.

Ending in August

PICTURE MY WORLD
Through Aug. 9. Photographs and journal entries by students from the South Olive Community Center and the Northwood Youth Empowerment Center. Communication through photography is stressed for struggling students as a means of improving self-esteem, providing a nonviolent way of expression and encouraging empowerment. Palm Beach Photographic Center, 55 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. $3. www.fotofusion.org; 561-276-9797.

NATHAN SAWAYA: THE ART OF THE BRICK
Through Aug. 10. About 30 works created from standard Lego bricks by New York artist Nathan Sawaya. Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St., Hollywood. Adults, $6; children, $3. www.artandculturecenter.org; 954-921-3274.

REPTILES: THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DEADLY
Through Aug. 10. This exhibit showcases major groups of living reptiles from around the world, including turtles, crocodilians, lizards and snakes in naturalistic habitats. The behaviors, survival strategies and characteristics of each reptile group can be explored in this 5,000-square-foot exhibit. Guests can "milk" venom from a model rattlesnake, open and close the jaws of a motorized Gabook viper skull, crawl through a giant tortoise shell and more. Miami Metrozoo, 12400 SW 152nd St., Miami. www.miamimetrozoo.com; 305-255-5551.

HORSE PLAY
Through Aug. 15. An invitational exhibition of two-dimensional and three-dimensional works inspired by the horse sculptures of China's Tang Dynasty. Miami International University of Art & Design, 1501 Bisayne Blvd., Miami. 305-428-5700.

A DIFFERENT WAY OF SEEING
Through Aug. 28. A photography exhibit featuring fanciful nature photos by Judy Norton. PBCC Eissey Campus Theater, 11051 Campus Drive, Palm Beach. 561-207-5905.

PAINTINGS BENEATH THE SEA
Through Aug. 30. Floridian Jason Mathias creates fine-art compositions in oils, acrylics and watercolors, which are drawn from the extensive underwater digital video he shoots while diving off the coasts of Florida and the Cayman Islands. Cornell Museum of Arts and American Culture, Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. www.oldschool.org; 561-243-7922.

DIVERS' TREASURE
Through Aug. 30. A collection of treasure and treasured artifacts, by sea and land, from the days of tall sailing galleons and pirate ships, 1500s to 1800s. Cornell Museum of Arts and American Culture, Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. www.oldschool.org; 561-243-7922.

ZAP! POW! BAM! THE SUPERHERO: THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMIC BOOKS 1938-1950
Through Aug. 31. An interactive exhibit including a Batmobile, Superman's telephone booth, superhero dress up and original comic books. My Jewish Discovery Place, 6501 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation. 954-792-6700. Children, $5; Adults free with child's admission.

Ongoing

MINERALS ROCK!
Featuring more than 50 types of beautiful museum-quality minerals, rocks and ammonites. See pyrite, or fool's gold, opal, copper, malachite, halite, quartz, azurite, sulfur, petrified wood, garnet, amethyst and fluorite just to name a few. Make a volcano erupt to see how new rocks and landmasses are formed. Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. www.mods.org; 954-467-6637.

SPORTSOLOGY
Through Sept. 1. Sportsology focuses on the science behind sports with hands-on challenges that test athletic abilities. Discover the scientific principles of the human body at work in different sporting events such as soccer, basketball and baseball. Children's Science Explorium at Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton. www.scienceexplorium.org; 561-347-3912

FROGS: A CHORUS OF COLORS
Through Sept. 7. Brilliant orange, bright blue and dazzling red; frogs come in an astonishing array of colors that provide only a glimpse at the remarkable diversity that exists among the frog species inhabiting the globe. Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale. www.mods.org; 954-467-6637.

MICHIMU'S SUMMER GAMES EXHIBIT
Through Sept. 7. In honor of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the Miami Science Museum's official mascot, MiChiMu, this 2,500-square-foot exhibit will celebrate the Olympic spirit and cultural diversity. Interactive areas of the exhibit include world geography, multiple fitness challenges and a comprehensive history of the Olympics. What's New Gallery, Miami Children's Museum, 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami. 305-373-5637. Free with paid admission to the museum. $12 per person.

THE ROBOT ZOO
Through September. Some of nature's coolest creatures invade the museum in robotic form. Visitors are invited to operate and discover fascinating features of these animals' anatomies through larger-than-life, interactive demonstrations. Featuring chameleon, house fly and platypus robots. South Florida Science Museum, 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. 561-832-1988; www.sfsm.org. Adults, $9; seniors, $7.50; children, $6.

THE DINOSAURS OF CHINA
Through Sept. 10. The Miami Science museum is the debut city for The Dinosaurs of China, a new exhibition of magnificent dinosaur fossils from China. These fossils include the rare, feathered dinosaurs from Laoning, which have been touted by scientists as evidence of the evolution of modern birds from dinosaurs. Miami Science Museum, 3280 S. Miami Ave., Miami. 305-646-4200.

KURUMA: THE WHEEL IN JAPANESE LIFE AND ART
Through Sept. 21. In Japan the wheel has had a different history than it has in other regions of the world. Featured are actual Japanese wheels, including waterwheels for wet-rice agriculture, spinning wheels, carpenters' snap-lines, pharmacists' mortars for preparing traditional medicines, wheeled folk toys and more. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. www.morikami.org; 561-495-0233. Adults, $9; children, $6.

THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS KICKS UP A STORM
Through Sept. 28. From hot-air balloons to hurricanes, visitors are immersed in the entire weather experience through this exhibit. Do science projects in Ms. Frizzle's Classroom, process live weather data in the Walkerville Weather Center, and measure lightening in the Weather Observatory. Young at Art Children's Museum, 11584 W. State Road 84, Davie. 954-424-0085.

INTERAMA: MIAMI AND THE INTERAMERICAN DREAM
Through Jan. 25, 2009. Walk into a re-creation of Interama, Miami's futuristic fair of the Americas from the 1960s. Under development for decades, Interama was never built, but captured the imagination of planners, architects and public officials during an era when Miami increasingly perceived itself as a hemispheric crossroads. Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 W. Flagler St., Miami. 305-375-1492.

Compiled by Rebecca Forand