Each day I sketched at the Orlando Science Center‘s new Kids Zone construction site, I was issued a hard hat at the front admissions desk. The day I stopped in to sketch the Orange Grove, it looked close to being complete. The construction foreman let me know that the hard hat wasn’t needed since there was no overhead work being done. Large plastic sheets still isolated the construction site so museum goers couldn’t see the progress.
Only one young construction worker was doing minor work in the grove. He stood in a window of light, and inspected the elevated rails that would late transport oranges around the room. The oranges were orange balls and there were a few green balls as well. The bulbous plastic trees were ripe with fruit. Balls would automatically feed into openings in the trees waiting to be picked. A ladder was needed to get up high and check that the ramps were secure.
I went back to the grove several days ago when it was filled with children. This quiet scene suddenly became a scene of chaos. Kids were running everywhere, picking fruit and getting it to market. One little girl ran right into me, knocking my sketchbook to the floor. She was in a rush to get a box of balls to the market. If you have children, trust me, the will love the new Kids Zone.