Monterey Bay Aquarium’s new exhibit invites kids to waddle like penguins and leap like fish

First, you’re hit with the briny scent of the ocean. Then, you enter a room with panoramic views of Monterey Bay. Natural light floods in while soft, ambient music plays in the background. Laser projections of sea creatures swim, waddle and leap along the walls. 

If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of Ray, a 12-year-old penguin hatched onsite.

These encounters are part of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s new, child-focused exhibit, Ocean In Motion / La Danza del Mar, set to open Nov. 7. 

With its pastel colors and soothing, whimsical atmosphere, the exhibit invites children to connect with marine life through play. Interactive displays encourage visitors to copy the movements of sea creatures and explore the ocean through touch.

“Our biggest goal is to really support the connection to live animals through play and movement for our youngest visitors. We know that helps create lifelong connections and empathy for wildlife and for caring for animals,” said Emily Saich, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s vice president of exhibitions.

Designed with child psychology and accessibility in mind, the exhibit incorporates mimicry and tactile elements. Animals on display include big-belly seahorses, leaping blennies, bluespotted ribbontail rays, clownfish and African penguins.

“Building empathy towards animals and the ocean, or our environment, is one of the ways to actually protect it. Specifically for the littles, one of the ways to build empathy is through mimicry,” said Natalia Hurley, vice president of education and guest experiences at the aquarium.

Mirrors scattered throughout the exhibit invite visitors to imitate the natural motions, or “dances,” of these animals – for example, leaping like a blenny or wiggling like a penguin.

“By having the kids come through and see a penguin waddle – if they’re also gonna waddle like a penguin – then they build a connection to it,” Hurley said. “They feel similar to the penguin in a way. And so, by starting that empathy building at a young age, we’re really investing in the long run to create future ocean stewards.”

Beyond mimicry, the exhibit offers opportunities for sensory and imaginative play. 

 A water touch tank with artificial kelp, seaweed branches, starfish and crustaceans allows young hands to explore. A coral reef “jungle gym” invites fantastical play, with instructions such as “hide and peek” or “nestle” that encourage children to mimic movements and behaviors found in coral reef ecosystems. Tall seagrass sculptures illustrate how seahorses cling underwater.

Before opening, the concepts behind the exhibit were tested on teachers, children and caregivers at various Monterey County Head Start centers. At an exclusive showcase for donors to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and their children last weekend, staff saw visitors put those ideas into motion.

“I felt really proud of the team, because so much of the intentionality that might be invisible to all of us that they really put into the exhibits came to life. The kids were playing leapscotch by the blennies, and they were hiding and peeking behind the coral play area, and they were flapping their wings like penguins,” Hurley said.

Accessibility is another central goal established by Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar. Bilingual information cards with language suited to early readers, step-up platforms, wheelchair roll-unders and life-size bronze animals offer visitors different ways to engage with the exhibit. 

The experience is also designed to accommodate the animals involved, said Aimee David, the aquarium’s vice president of U.S. and California ocean conservation.

“A lot of our birds are on the older side, so in the wild they live around 10 to maybe 15 years. Within zoos and aquariums, they can live more into their 20s, but they can also go into their 30s or 40s. As the birds get older, they get a lot of common issues that we get, like arthritis or cataracts,” David said.

“So this exhibit was really designed for all the penguins, no matter what age, no matter what health concerns they might have. You’ll notice things like how all of the nest boxes are on one level, so no bird has to climb if they don’t want to. Everything was designed to encourage their natural behavior, whether that’s swimming, climbing, feeding, flapping or jumping.”

If young children interact with the exhibit and begin to build critical empathy skills, they could help lead the future of marine conservation.

“Many marine scientists who are professionals now first got inspired through a visit to a public aquarium, myself included,” said Paul Clarkson, the aquarium’s director of husbandry operations. 

“I think if people can leave with a spark of curiosity and empathy for the animals here, then we will have succeeded.”

Ocean in Motion / La Danza del Mar is open to all ages and will follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s regular hours of operation. 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.