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Community Corner

Kids Can Take an Adventure to Health at CentraState

Exhibit provides an interactive wonderland in hospital's Student Health Awareness Center.

The scene is mesmerizing. When you first walk into the Michelle and Jennifer Tobias Adventure to Health your eyes widen, taking in the brightly-colored exhibits and activities.

The unique educational facility is located in the Student Health Awareness Center on the grounds of and is designed to appeal to children over six years old and children at heart of all ages. Visitors get to explore the human body from the inside to learn how to protect it through the development of healthy eating habits and safety. Education is disguised as entertainment in this Disney-like atmosphere.

You enter into a human torso. The spine curves across the ceiling. Dispersed between the exhibits and activity stations are ribs of a very impressive size. The room is a burst of colors and machinery that captivate any eye.

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Visitors learn as they walk from station to station. "The Healthy Highway Drive-Thru" simulates a real drive-thru experience. Each child gets to select foods based on the nutritional value. The results calculator lets them know how well they did in planning a healthy meal.

"The Play It Safe Drag and Drop" is a real favorite. Students match specific protective gear with the activity in which it is needed. A football player, for example, would need a helmet. Other stations include a learning about germs section, a dental health exhibit, and fitness through exercise display. Visitors to the Michelle and Jennifer Tobias Adventure to Health learn about the body’s organs and systems as well as develop awareness related to the senses. There are 18 individual activities in all.

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There is also a 25-seat theater used to give demonstrations and presentations to the visitors. Schools can arrange a trip, as can scouting troops or any other group. The facility can also be rented out for private parties.

The area is open to the public on specific Saturdays, typically the first Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $8 per person and $7 per child for non-school groups of 10 children or more. For more information, call 732-308-1850.

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