“Director’s Challenge” brings in the families for summer

The Idaho Museum of Natural History is creating history with families all summer long. Saturday was the start of the museum’s “Director’s Challenge” events.

After a long, busy work week, it’s time to unwind and bring your family and friends close. It’s a bonding time. And now that school’s out, t’s a time to fill your agenda with summer.

“So today, we have our very first Director’s Challenges. So what this is, is a very friendly family opportunity to try problem solving with your family. I’m a firm believer we learn best when we’re having fun and not realizing we’re learning at all,” said Leif Tapanila of the Idaho Museum of Natural History

He says the challenge activities are made to bring families close and work as a team to overcome a challenge for a prize.

“This week, we’re asking our visitors to create a parachute out of different objects we have to protect a little dinosaur we have hanging from the chute. And throw them off a high spot we have at the University here,” said Tapanila.

“I think it’s pretty good (of the parachute he made). I wanted to make sure there was enough surface area for the chute and make a little resistance,” said John Adams, on vacation from Texas.

After families have finished making their parachutes, it’s time to test them. They get a go as many times as they want, but there’s a winner somewhere.

The winner was one of Adams’ kid, who built one of the smaller blue parachutes as it floated down gracefully.

Tapanila and his kids are excited to put on more family events like these as they help to bring families close in a very meaningful way.

“So in two weeks we going to be doing the classic egg drop. We’ll be dropping them in containers from a high spot but try not to break the eggs,” said Tapanila.

The challenge events are free to the public, and will take place once every two weeks throughout the summer at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Events go from 1p.m. to 5p.m. on Saturdays.