Family-Friendly Exhibits: SouthFlorida.com

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

THIS MONTH'S TOP PICK
Minerals Rock!
Opens July 26. Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. 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. You even will be able to make a volcano erupt to see how new rocks and landmasses are formed. www.mods.org; 954-467-6637.

New this Month

A Different Way of Seeing
Through Aug. 28. PBCC Eissey Campus Theater, 11051 Campus Drive, Palm Beach. A photography exhibit featuring fanciful nature photos by Judy Norton. 561-207-5905.

Paintings Beneath the Sea
July 8 through Aug. 30. Cornell Museum of Arts and American Culture, Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Native 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. www.oldschool.org; 561-243-7922.

Divers' Treasure
July 8 through Aug. 30 Cornell Museum of Arts and American Culture, Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. A collection of treasure and treasured artifacts, by sea and land, from the days of tall sailing galleons and pirate ships, 1500s to 1800s. www.oldschool.org; 561-243-7922.

Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books 1938-1950
Through Aug. 15. My Jewish Discovery Place, 6501 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation. An interactive exhibit including a batmobile, superman's telephone booth, superhero dress up and original comic books that examines the artists who expressed themselves in the comic books of this period. Children, $5; adults, free with child's admission. 954-792-6700.

Ending in July

Juneteenth and the Quests of Independence in the Americas
Through July 30. An exhibit featuring the works of local artists' visions of the quests for independence in the United States, the Caribbean and beyond. Old Dillard Museum, 1009 NW Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale. 754-322-8828.

In the Hands of African-American Collectors: The Personal Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey
Through July 20, Norton Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach. From rarely seen slave owners' documents to brilliant expressions in paint to glimpses of private 19th-century lives, the collection reflects the cultural and historical heritage that the Kinseys hope to preserve for future generations. Accompanied by a highlighted exhibit: "African American Art from the Norton Collection," including important works by African-American artists from the 1920s through the 1990s. www.norton.org; 561-832-5196.

Haitian Community Arts
Through June 30. The Haitian Community Arts exhibit features 38 photographs taken by award-winning photographers of Haitian artists practicing their traditional skills and the aesthetic products of these skills. Adults, $5; children, $3. Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, 170 NW Fifth Ave., Delray Beach. 561-279-8883.

Ongoing

Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly
Extended through Aug. 10. This exhibit showcases members of the major groups of living reptiles from around the world, including turtles, crocodilians, lizards and snakes in naturalistic habitats. Fundamental questions will be answered, and the behaviors, survival strategies and characteristics of each reptile group can be explored in this 5,000-square-foot exhibition. 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. The experience is meant to debunk common myths about these animals and leave visitors with a new appreciation. Miami Metrozoo, 12400 SW 152nd St., Miami. 305-255-5551.

Sportsology
Through August. Sportsology focuses on the science behind sports with hands-on challenges that test your athletic abilities while you learn how your body works. 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.

Picture My World
Through Aug. 9. Picture My World includes 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. A children's opening and walk-through from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 7. There also will be a Lego Creation Challenge for all South Florida residents age 6 and older. Adults, $6; children, $3. www.artandculturecenter.org; 954-921-3274.

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. Free with paid admission to the museum. $12 per person. 305-373-5637.

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. Adults, $9; seniors, $7.50; children, $6. South Florida Science Museum, 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. 561-832-1988; www.sfsm.org.

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. Adults, $9; children, $6. www.morikami.org; 561-495-0233.

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.

Compiled by Rebecca Forand