Wisconsin teen ‘gears’ new museum exhibit to future science and tech whizzes of America

The Above & Beyond Children’s Museum in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, recently welcomed a new exhibit designed and made by a local student.

High school senior Flinn Opel developed an interactive exhibit through an innovator fellowship program at Sheboygan High School.

His exhibit is called “Pegboard Play,” which is made of two large pegboards. 

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One of the boards contains gears of various sizes and colors, giving visitors the opportunity to create their own patterns. (See the video at the top of this article.)

The other board is used as a ball track, with different tubes that navigate the ball up and down the board. 

“When I saw my chance to give future generations a platform to build [STEAM] skills, I lunged at the opportunity,” said Flinn Opel to Fox News Digital — referencing to science, technology, engineering, art and math.  (Flinn Opel, Above & Beyond Children’s Museum)

Opel told Fox News Digital via email that STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) have played an important role in his own life through education. 

“These skills are important to succeeding in today’s world and I am beyond thankful for all the teachers that have nurtured them,” he said.

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“When I saw my chance to give future generations a platform to build these skills, I lunged at the opportunity.”

The target audience for Opel’s project is kids ages one to ten. 

The collaborative exhibit includes “Curiosity Questions,” posted to help expand kids’ interactions into conversations.  (Flinn Opel, Above & Beyond Children’s Museum)

Along with the collaborative exhibit are “Curiosity Questions,” which are posted to help expand kids’ interactions with the exhibit into conversations. 

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“When meeting with teachers to learn about what children struggled with, it quickly became evident that when students failed during a challenging project, they would give up rather than developing new, creative solutions,” said Opel.

He said he hoped to change children’s minds about giving up — and instead present them with fun challenges to come up with creative ways to achieve success. 

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“They can work on learning colors, improving hand-eye coordination when moving gears, and strengthening tactile movement when playing.”

The “Pegboard Play” exhibit that Opel designed will be on permanent display at the Above & Beyond Children’s Museum.  (Flinn Opel, Above & Beyond Children’s Museum)

“I also hope the exhibits/questions help to strengthen child-caregiver relationships and support learning on top of playing,” he added. 

Above & Beyond Children’s Museum of Sheboygan County is a nonprofit organization established in 1993.

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The “Pegboard Play” exhibit will be on display permanently, the museum indicated.