"Math Midway"

"Math Midway"

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Don't let the gigantic molecule model hanging over the NYHS's latest interactive exhibit fool you: "Math Midway" is all about numbers and theory, not science. Resembling a Skittle-colored carnival, the exhibition features over 20 hands-on stations that engage visitors in math-related games. Clad in red aprons, trained "explainers" stand at the ready to answer kids' queries about each activity.

You'll have to wait in line for the popular "Pedal on the Petals," which features two tricycles sporting rectangular wheels of varying sizes on an uneven, wooden track shaped like a sunflower. Both kids and parents can take a surprisingly smooth spin around the route and learn how its offbeat shape compensates for the odd wheels.

Regain your bearings at "Polyhedral Puzzle Plaza," where families are encouraged to build geometrical models with gargantuan (and delightfully squishy) cubes and sticks. The Tetris-like activity sits atop an adorable monkey-themed pentagon puzzle. In addition to symmetry, the way that the monkeys' arms and legs fit together demonstrates tessellation.

Other attractions include a litter of stuffed terriers (patterns can be made from their leashes) and a fun house filled with warped mirrors. There is also high-tech fun, such as a station where kids can use photo software to snap pictures of each other and virtually pinch one another's cheeks using a mathematical formula. Whoever said math was just for squares sure was wrong.—Kat Harrison

"Math Midway" is on view at the New York Hall of Science through Apr 18.

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