Presented in partnership with Berks Nature, Nature All Around Us is the latest major exhibition at the Reading Public Museum. The exhibition will be on view in The Museum’s Second Floor Temporary Exhibition Galleries through Sunday, May 12, 2024. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore different sections of this engaging exhibition at each of these Berks County institutions.
Nature is thriving right under our noses in our cities and towns. Nature All Around Us, an immersive experience, gives visitors the opportunity to learn about the wild plants and animals that share their communities. The exhibit features everything from natural history specimens to state-of-the-art digital integrations, including 3-D mapped projections, a virtual bicycle ride, digital periscopes, and fun and challenging games for all ages.
The exhibit also highlights the work of community scientists like Rebecca Ray, internationally recognized arachnid identifier. “Nature All Around Us asks visitors to see familiar places with new eyes and provides opportunities to learn and practice the skills of a naturalist,” remarked Lisa Thompson, exhibit developer and interpretive planner at the Natural History Museum of Utah. “We hope to challenge the notion that urban environments are separate or at odds by showing the many ways they are inextricably linked, and to encourage the public to learn about planning, designing, and managing nature in their communities.”
In fact, Nature All Around Us was developed with the advice of more than 50 experts, including urban foresters, conservation biologists, community garden organizers, a river restoration designer, and numerous scientists.
The exhibit introduces visitors to the multitude of rich ecosystems that thrive in communities throughout North America and empowers them to discover the remarkable biodiversity that surrounds us. With an introduction to observation tools including iNaturalist, a community science app that helps individuals identify and document biodiversity, visitors will gain new skills, abilities, and interest in community science—a legacy of Nature All Around Us, even after the exhibit ends.
This new exhibit is based on the idea that we can make our community an even better place in which to live by discovering, celebrating, and conserving the nature we find in our own neighborhoods, open spaces, parks, and waterways.
Nature All Around Us was developed by the Natural History Museum of Utah, in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota. Support for the national tour of Nature All Around Us was provided by My Good Fund and the Joanne L. Shrontz Family Foundation.
In Reading, the exhibit is sponsored by The Neag Foundation, The Wyomissing Foundation, Penske Truck Leasing, The Breidegam Family Foundation, and The Penn Entertainment Foundation.
Several educational programs will be offered to complement Nature All Around Us, presented in coordination between the Reading Public Museum and Berks Nature.
Family Programming
March 2 | 10am-2pm – Explore Nature and Art at the Reading Public Museum! — Nature My Muse. Location: Reading Public Museum. Open to: Public with a suggested $5 donation.
March 16 | 10am-2pm – Get inspired by Nature at Berks Nature! — Nature My Muse. Location: Berks Nature. Open to: Public with a suggested $5 donation.
April 6 | 10am-2pm – Become a Citizen Scientist at Berks Nature! — Goin’ Buggy for Community Science. Location: Berks Nature. Open to: Public with a suggested $5 donation.
April 20 | 10am-2pm – Explore Citizen science at the Reading Public Museum! — Goin’ Buggy for Community Science. Location: Reading Public Museum. Open to: Public with a suggested $5 donation.
Homeschool Days at the Reading Public Museum
January 31 | 9-11am – Featuring Nature All Around Us with a focus on Urban Forests. February 28 | 9-11am – Featuring Nature All Around Us with a focus on Nature in the City. March 27 | 9-11am – Featuring Nature All Around Us with a focus on Yards and Gardens.
Girl Scout Workshops
March 2 | 3-6pm – Become an Artist in Nature’s Studio Workshop. Location: Reading Public Museum. Open to: Daisys, Brownies, & Juniors.
March 16 | 3-6pm – The Art of the Outdoors Workshop. Location: Berks Nature. Open to: Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors.
April 6 | 3-6pm – Citizen Scientists Unite! Workshop. Location: Berks Nature. Open to: Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, & Ambassadors.
April 20 | 3-6pm – Citizen Scientists Activate! Workshop. Location: Reading Public Museum. Open to: Daisys, Brownies, & Juniors.
Other Events
May 11 | 11am-3pm – Remake Learning Day. Nature All Around Us themed birthday parties.
The Reading Public Museum is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Admission per day is: $10 adults (18-64), $6 children/seniors/college students (w/ID), and free to Members and children three years old and under. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. readingpublicmuseum.org
Reading School District students are granted free Museum and Planetarium access and may be accompanied by two adults at no cost. Students must show a District ID card, and the adults who accompanies them must show proof they reside in zip codes within the District.
