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In the US there's Space Camp. Not sure of the details of it, but it's not an amusement park.
In the US there's Space Camp. Not sure of the details of it, but it's not an amusement park.
State of the art in edutainment looks like the upcoming Crayola IDEAworks exhibit at Philly's Franklin Institute. The focus isn't on "the science". But creativity, experimentation, problem-solving and design. It's universal. Multicultural. Multi-generation.
And yes, it's a branded experience. With the obligatory gift shop where they expect to sell plenty of crayons, colored pencils and magic markers. I recall being in London when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter just opened and the waitlist for tix was like six months ;)
If it's not fun, kids get bored very quickly. Even a classic "egg drop" experiment with masking tape, balloons and cardboard is more engaging than the artificial. State of the art in edutainment looks like the upcoming Crayola IDEAworks exhibit at Philly's Franklin Institute. The focus isn't on "the science". But creativity, experimentation, problem-solving and design. It's universal. Multicultural. Multi-generation.…
Yes, this is our experience as well when we built a space park in India. We had to add some element of entertainment. It becomes immediately evident when kids visit the park who among them are interested in the education side and who are interested on the non-educational/entertainment side of the project.
The Christa McAuliffe center has a neat spaceship simulation where students perform different crew roles onboard, doing different hands-on scientific tasks. I went in 6th grade on a field trip, and my job was capturing (a computer mini-game), reassembling (it was like snap circuits), and relaunching the probe. Is this something like your idea?
Yes, part of it will have elements of this. But it cannot be limited to just education as lot of kids get bored easily. So it will have some element of gamification and entertainment.
In the US there's Space Camp. Not sure of the details of it, but it's not an amusement park.
The idea came from what NASA has for tourists. And it is on similar lines to the US's Space Camp or the UK's Space Centre. But as I mentioned in my post, these centers do not scale. Not sure why; could be because they operate mostly using government funds.
Most of these kind of places have either a 'draw' or a 'museum' model. Ones which have a draw have something which is not elsewhere, which is what draws people to go there. KSC for example has rocket launches and moonshot facilities which are quite unique. A museum on the other hand can be built anywhere, even though it may contain some unique things. For STEAM it doesn't need uniqueness, just cool stuff would do. An example of that type would be www.mosi.org.
Museums are great, but in our day and age, building one is usually not a way to get rich. They often have some kind of subsidy. I don't know a ton about their finances, but most are operated as non-profits. I'm sure you could talk to someone who runs one and they'd be happy to tell you about their costs.
Having a STEAM draw might be good, but probably won't scale in a franchise fashion. However, linking up with a science institution can lend prestige, which is really important in the education/kids market. If SpaceX were to open a STEAM-themed kindergarten, parents would be fighting to get their kids in. Of course, this can also be done poorly - Florida Tech should have the prestige of being basically 'NASA school', but instead you get the grey MBA-ness of https://www.fit.edu/education-centers/locations/spaceport-ti....
The most important thing to find out if you want to scale, is what is the cost structure for existing places (i.e. how much goes to rent, salaries, exhibits, marketing, etc.). Then figure out what you are doing differently that will beat the pant off that. If you can't figure that out, you can't scale. For comparison, take a look at the cost structure of those tutoring centers (like Sylvan Learning); they do scale, but they are almost certainly not what are envisioning.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The idea came from what NASA has for tourists. And it is on similar lines to the US's Space Camp or the UK's Space Centre. But as I mentioned in my post, these centers do not scale. Not sure why; could be because they operate mostly using government funds.
I live down the road from Kennedy Space Center, and it has a fairly large scale :). It is also quite commercial, or rather the 'theme park' part of it is. By scaling, I presume you mean to spread, similar to a franchise model. Or do you mean a single park which grows really big? A little more detail about your vision might help. Most of these kind of places have either a 'draw' or a 'museum' model. Ones which have a…
Yes, that is what I meant.
> KSC for example has rocket launches and moonshot facilities which are quite unique.
Translating this uniqueness across different location is what is required. And this doesn't seem to be happening. And that is what I am trying to find out whether mini-space-related projects, AR, VR and MR can help.
> Museums are great, but in our day and age, building one is usually not a way to get rich.
Museums will be a small part of the project to provide historical information.
> Having a STEAM draw might be good, but probably won't scale in a franchise fashion.
That is why the project will not just be education, but entertainment coupled with education. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy as they say.
> linking up with a science institution can lend prestige
I am also thinking on these lines.
And thank you for the detailed writeup! Really very helpful.
In the US there's Space Camp. Not sure of the details of it, but it's not an amusement park.
Is it like the 80s film with Kate capshaw
That would be super fun :)
The long surviving theme parks are the front end for larger organizations. Universal Studios in Orlando. Sea World as marine mammal research centers. And of course Disney's lands and worlds.
Sea World however illustrates the challenges of changing public tastes...or opinions. What seemed like evergreen content is turning out not to be.
Do you have enough money to survive an event like the pandemic?