PR: Fun Holiday Activities at Orlando Science Center

n new Digital Adventure Theater,

Build Your Own Gingerbread House, Enroll Kids in Winter Break Camps

 and Enjoy Live Musical Performances

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 – Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 20, 2012) – Kids are out of school and families are home for the holidays; what better gift than to partake in festive activities at Orlando Science Center? From Dec. 19 to Jan. 6, the Science Center has just what the family needs to get in the yuletide spirit with showings of The Polar Express 3D in the new Digital Adventure Theater, build-your-own gingerbread house workshops, winter break camps and performances by handbell ensembles.

The Polar Express 3D

The newly christened Digital Adventure Theater will be showing The Polar Express 3D, the computer-animated fantasy film based on the children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The story revolves around Billy (Hayden McFarland), who longs to believe in Santa Claus but finds it difficult to do so with his family's dogged insistence that all of it – from the North Pole, to the elves, to the man himself – is all just a myth. The film also features the motion capture performance of Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks. It will screen daily between Dec. 21 and Jan. 6.

Build-Your-Own Gingerbread House Workshops

Leading up to Christmas, guests can participate in a build-your-own gingerbread house workshop in Dr. Dare’s Laboratory! From now to Dec. 23, families can purchase a kit for $12 that includes graham crackers, icing, candy canes and more – everything you need to have the best gingerbread house on the block. That’s because whatever you make can be taken home with you… unless it’s eaten beforehand!

Winter Break Camps

Parents who can’t stay at home while the kids are out of school can enroll them in winter break camps! From Dec. 26 to Dec. 28, youths in kindergarten through fifth grade can experience chilly-themed camps and from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4, they can learn about physics. These camps offer kids a chance to learn more about science and technology in a safe, exciting and interactive environment.

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Handbell Ensembles

And performing your favorite holiday hits are the Magic of Bronze and the Epiphany Bell Ringers at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22 and Sunday, Dec. 23, respectively. These handbell ensembles are sure to get folks in a jolly mood.

Star Wars®: Where Science Meets Imagination

Of course, don’t miss your opportunity to experience the blockbuster exhibit Star Wars®: Where Science Meets Imagination. Developed by the Museum of Science, Boston in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. and presented by Bose Corporation©, the 10,000 square-foot exhibit explores the fantasy technologies depicted in the Star Wars films, as well as the real science behind them, and the current research that may someday lead to real-life versions of the technologies seen in the film series. The exhibit includes extensive video interviews with filmmakers, scientists and engineers, and hands-on components, including two large Engineering Design Labs, where visitors can build and test their own speeders and robots.

Cost and Hours

See The Polar Express 3D in the Digital Adventure Theater, enjoy the handbell ensembles and experience Star Wars®: Where Science Meets Imagination with admission to the Science Center, which is $27 for adults and $20 for youth (ages 3-11). With admission, purchase a kit for $12 and build your own gingerbread house in Dr. Dare’s Laboratory. And enroll your child in a winter break camp for one day at $60; two days at $110; three days at $155; four days at $190; and five days at $230.

The Science Center will be closed Monday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Dec. 25. The building will be open normal hours the rest of the holidays.

For more information, please visit www.osc.org or call 407-514-2000. To enroll your child in winter break camp, please call 407-514-2112 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Orlando Science Center

Located in Orlando, Fla., interactive learning and discovery await within the Science Center’s hundreds of exhibits, programs and labs, films, and planetarium shows. The Science Center provides educational opportunities both within and outside its walls including field trips, family science nights at schools and community centers, and other outreach.

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Orlando Science Center's mission is to inspire science learning for life. The Science Center strives to create lasting impacts on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Fully accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Science Center ranks as the most popular museum destination in the region. Having served more than 4 million people and provided field trip experiences to more than 800,000 school children since the current facility debuted in 1997, the Science Center offers rich resources for lifelong learning.

About Star Wars®: Where Science Meets Imagination

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS® and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0307875. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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