Meet Russell, the talking 11-foot electric giraffe, witness aerial photography quadcopters in action, learn how to make the “world’s farthest flying” paper airplane and play a piano made out of bananas.

San Diego—Join Balboa Park, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, the Museum of Photographic Arts and other major Balboa Park institutions for STEAM Family Day, on Sunday, March 15. This is the first major family event in 2015 to celebrate the Balboa Park Centennial.

STEAM Family Day brings a world of discovery to children of all ages. Over two dozen cultural organizations will put the fun into STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math—through hands-on activities, crafts, demonstrations, special exhibitions and more.

The media is invited to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center on the morning of Friday, March 13, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., to preview the exciting STEAM-related activities available for families to enjoy on STEAM Family Day.

Meet Russell, the talking 11-foot electric giraffe. Created by Lindsay Lawlor, Russell moves, talks and responds to petting. He is a celebrity in the Maker community, a regular visitor to Maker Faires nationwide and also the first electric giraffe in history to meet President Barak Obama. The video of that encounter is here.

Also in attendance at the STEAM Media Morning will be Dragon Radioc, of Altitude CAM, and his aerial photography quadcopters. With his quadcopters, Dragon is able to capture stunning aerial footage featuring unique views typically only accessible to birds. View the aerial video he created in the sky above Balboa Park here.

Last, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center will be featuring two fun interactive demonstrations for STEAM Media Morning that will be available for the public to enjoy on STEAM Family Day as well.

One interactive will be a simple invention kit, called MaKey MaKey, which can turn everyday objects into functional computer touchpads. Video game controllers can be made out of Play-Doh or by designs drawn on paper. Fleet demonstrators will be on hand to demonstrate how MaKey MaKey can be used to turn bananas into music-making piano keys. See a demonstration of MaKey MaKey on the video here.

The other demonstration hosted by the Fleet will be Fold & Fly. Our facilitators will be demonstrating how to fold the "World's Farthest-Flying Paper Airplane." Here is the record-breaking flight, and instructions on how to make the airplane are available here.

The media is invited to preview these activities at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center on Friday, March 13, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or by appointment. All activities and interactive demonstrations will be available for the public to enjoy on STEAM Family Day, Sunday, March 15.

Activities for STEAM Family Day take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Outdoor activities are free. Participating museums are also offering free admission to children 12 and under with a paying adult.

To schedule an interview or media appearance, please contact Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Public Relations Manager Nathan Young at 619-685-5743 or nyoung@rhfleet.org.

WHEN:            Friday, March 13, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

WHERE:          Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
                          1875 El Prado
                          San Diego, CA 92101

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MORE INFO:

For more information about all the STEAM Family Day activities and offerings throughout Balboa Park, please visit:

http://www.balboapark.org/STEAMday

For more information about the specific offerings from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center for STEAM Family Day, please visit:

http://www.rhfleet.org/events/steam-family-day