Hi, I visited recently several innovative science museums and was inspired to design insect house using the same techniques. Lots of fun connecting to my inner child 
Tell me what do you think about it
JUREK'S BUTTERFLY AND MAGIC KINGDOM – ULTIMATE INVERTEBRATE HOUSE
ENTRANCE – INSECT SHOW
Near the entrance there is a bay for children, with a short puppet show and animated film and sing along. It starts with a human who laments that the world around is barren and lifeless. Then he hears a little voice, explaining that it cared for life since forever, but human has driven it away polluting the environment. The creatures, which look like a plump green and grey Minions, introduce themselves as Isidium and explain that they are a team of a fungi and alga. Then they start working and singing along. Other muppet-like creatures join one by one: lichens, tardigrades, springtails, mosses, snails, spiders and lots of other lifeforms, and sing what they do. Even spiders and birds as policement, to keep others in check. Afterwards all these critters explain that only after they together created the environment, human can live, and they will happily work forever, unless the human drives them away again. This shows the importance of learning about insects – they are invisible, but human life depends from them, and with the environmental destruction, their ecosystem services are not longer guaranteed.
MAIN HALL: MAGIC KINGDOM
GENERAL DESIGN
Adult visitors often find insects too small to be interesting, therefore big artifical models were added. The exhibit is themed as if visitors shrunk to the tiny size and walked under two storey-high daffodils, daisies, mushrooms and strawberries. Big insect models accompany live exhibits. Visitors see and get the information looking at the big models and screens, and look at the small live insect only as a confirmation.
Huge models are surrounded by live plant species with giant leaves and stems, which fit the theme: Giant Rhubarb Gunnera magnicata, Elephant's Ear Colocasia esculenta, bamboo and giant grasses.
The hall can be viewed on two levels. Second storey gallery surrounds the hall. It allows better look at models of insects in flight, to see ground level of the two story high anthill, and to supervise children who are climbing on the upper level of the playground.
The hall has no linear route and no linear storyline. There are multiple sub-exhibits and paths. This emphasises diversity of insects and multitude of issues related to entomology. This variety is further emphasized by two long exhibits which weave across all the building: pathway of live leafcutter ants, and big wall with displays of butterflies and other stuffed insects.
INSECT MODELS
Spread around the hall are realistic giant models of insects and invertebrates. They show details of bodies, including breathing, hearing, sound-making and sensing organs which and located completely differently than in mammals. Models are: two-floor tall model of a hummingbird hawkmoth putting its long proboscis down into a flower, a ladybug and an European rhinoceros beetle to ride on, menacing praying mantis to photograph like somebody was caught by it, mutant lab fruitfly with colored eyes, peacock jumping spider, jumping migratory locust, Anopheles malaria mosquito emerging from chrysalis (“the most dangerous animal on Earth”), a pair of hoverflies mating in flight, hovering honeybee with collected pollen, a red forest ant with a needle explaining why small size makes insects super-strong, beautiful treehopper laying an egg, and silkmoth caterpillar in process of wrapping itself into a cocoon.
INDOOR PLAYGROUND
Behind the central bunch of giant plant models is indoor children playground. Much of it is a wooden climbing frame themed as an anthill which lets children walk and play overehad. This extends the area avialable to play over much of the exhibit, and lets children wander over heads of adults. The overhead paths and tunnels extend outdoors and connect to the outdoor playground.
Children can crawl on a giant spider web, slide and walk in a maze of termite tunnels, hop next to grasshopper models, climb giant mushrooms and climb the wall like about any insect.
There are explanations e.g. how small size of insects enables them to be very strong and climb walls, and how size determines how animal is build – small animals are more influenced by wind and surface forces, so have many legs, spread wide and equipped with claws or suckers.
BLUE SCREEN – MICROSCOPIC INSECTS AND SHOWING CONSERVATION PROJECTS
There are two bays with large screens on the walls, ceiling and floor, showing different environments. Next to them are blue-screen photo studio chamber, where visitors can see themselves on the screen and take pictures.
They show insect life: inside anthill between ants or sitting on a flower with butterflies. They are also showing microscopic arthropods – e.g. leaf litter and human skin.
Other views transport visitors to nature reserves which zoo helps to protect. People can see views of reserves, wild animals, and have their photo taken e.g. surrounded by zebras in an African national park, on a treetop in rainforest at sunset. They can also donate to these conservation projects.
GAMES AND OPERABLE MODELS
Numerous computer screens show life of insects, and there are simple computer games. They let children e.g. play chase games of various dragonflies and prey insects chasing each other. Or visitors can instuct a honeybee on a screen to dance, showing others where is the nectar. Next to it is a live beehive behind glass, and the cursor shows on the nearby garden where the honeybees would be directed.
There are several interactive models of insects, which children can operate remotely. They can learn about insect body plan by letting a male mosquito bite plant stem with its complex mouthparts, or pushing two stag beetles in a fight.
PEOPLE WHO STUDY INSECTS
Several bays show equipment of a taxonomist, an early geneticist, conservationist and a beekeeper. Visitors can try beekeepers costume, play to identify colorful treehopper specimens under a light microscope, and design an insect reserve. They can also see various mutants of Drosophila fruitfly – one of most useful insects in its special way and learn about inheritance and homeotic genes. Nearby are: live bee colony, live insects, fruitfly breeding area, and rare bettle species. This exhibit is meant to show especially how insects are studied, and some aspects of genetics.
ENORMOUS DIVERSITY (INSECT SPECIMENS)
There is large wavelike wall which weaves all across the room. It exhibits several thousands of mounted colorful butterflies and other insect specimens, called 'enormous diveristy'. The sign asks to find two insects of the same species. There is only one such: male and female stag beetle.
The exhibit shows systematics of invertebrates.
Tell me what do you think about it
JUREK'S BUTTERFLY AND MAGIC KINGDOM – ULTIMATE INVERTEBRATE HOUSE
ENTRANCE – INSECT SHOW
Near the entrance there is a bay for children, with a short puppet show and animated film and sing along. It starts with a human who laments that the world around is barren and lifeless. Then he hears a little voice, explaining that it cared for life since forever, but human has driven it away polluting the environment. The creatures, which look like a plump green and grey Minions, introduce themselves as Isidium and explain that they are a team of a fungi and alga. Then they start working and singing along. Other muppet-like creatures join one by one: lichens, tardigrades, springtails, mosses, snails, spiders and lots of other lifeforms, and sing what they do. Even spiders and birds as policement, to keep others in check. Afterwards all these critters explain that only after they together created the environment, human can live, and they will happily work forever, unless the human drives them away again. This shows the importance of learning about insects – they are invisible, but human life depends from them, and with the environmental destruction, their ecosystem services are not longer guaranteed.
MAIN HALL: MAGIC KINGDOM
GENERAL DESIGN
Adult visitors often find insects too small to be interesting, therefore big artifical models were added. The exhibit is themed as if visitors shrunk to the tiny size and walked under two storey-high daffodils, daisies, mushrooms and strawberries. Big insect models accompany live exhibits. Visitors see and get the information looking at the big models and screens, and look at the small live insect only as a confirmation.
Huge models are surrounded by live plant species with giant leaves and stems, which fit the theme: Giant Rhubarb Gunnera magnicata, Elephant's Ear Colocasia esculenta, bamboo and giant grasses.
The hall can be viewed on two levels. Second storey gallery surrounds the hall. It allows better look at models of insects in flight, to see ground level of the two story high anthill, and to supervise children who are climbing on the upper level of the playground.
The hall has no linear route and no linear storyline. There are multiple sub-exhibits and paths. This emphasises diversity of insects and multitude of issues related to entomology. This variety is further emphasized by two long exhibits which weave across all the building: pathway of live leafcutter ants, and big wall with displays of butterflies and other stuffed insects.
INSECT MODELS
Spread around the hall are realistic giant models of insects and invertebrates. They show details of bodies, including breathing, hearing, sound-making and sensing organs which and located completely differently than in mammals. Models are: two-floor tall model of a hummingbird hawkmoth putting its long proboscis down into a flower, a ladybug and an European rhinoceros beetle to ride on, menacing praying mantis to photograph like somebody was caught by it, mutant lab fruitfly with colored eyes, peacock jumping spider, jumping migratory locust, Anopheles malaria mosquito emerging from chrysalis (“the most dangerous animal on Earth”), a pair of hoverflies mating in flight, hovering honeybee with collected pollen, a red forest ant with a needle explaining why small size makes insects super-strong, beautiful treehopper laying an egg, and silkmoth caterpillar in process of wrapping itself into a cocoon.
INDOOR PLAYGROUND
Behind the central bunch of giant plant models is indoor children playground. Much of it is a wooden climbing frame themed as an anthill which lets children walk and play overehad. This extends the area avialable to play over much of the exhibit, and lets children wander over heads of adults. The overhead paths and tunnels extend outdoors and connect to the outdoor playground.
Children can crawl on a giant spider web, slide and walk in a maze of termite tunnels, hop next to grasshopper models, climb giant mushrooms and climb the wall like about any insect.
There are explanations e.g. how small size of insects enables them to be very strong and climb walls, and how size determines how animal is build – small animals are more influenced by wind and surface forces, so have many legs, spread wide and equipped with claws or suckers.
BLUE SCREEN – MICROSCOPIC INSECTS AND SHOWING CONSERVATION PROJECTS
There are two bays with large screens on the walls, ceiling and floor, showing different environments. Next to them are blue-screen photo studio chamber, where visitors can see themselves on the screen and take pictures.
They show insect life: inside anthill between ants or sitting on a flower with butterflies. They are also showing microscopic arthropods – e.g. leaf litter and human skin.
Other views transport visitors to nature reserves which zoo helps to protect. People can see views of reserves, wild animals, and have their photo taken e.g. surrounded by zebras in an African national park, on a treetop in rainforest at sunset. They can also donate to these conservation projects.
GAMES AND OPERABLE MODELS
Numerous computer screens show life of insects, and there are simple computer games. They let children e.g. play chase games of various dragonflies and prey insects chasing each other. Or visitors can instuct a honeybee on a screen to dance, showing others where is the nectar. Next to it is a live beehive behind glass, and the cursor shows on the nearby garden where the honeybees would be directed.
There are several interactive models of insects, which children can operate remotely. They can learn about insect body plan by letting a male mosquito bite plant stem with its complex mouthparts, or pushing two stag beetles in a fight.
PEOPLE WHO STUDY INSECTS
Several bays show equipment of a taxonomist, an early geneticist, conservationist and a beekeeper. Visitors can try beekeepers costume, play to identify colorful treehopper specimens under a light microscope, and design an insect reserve. They can also see various mutants of Drosophila fruitfly – one of most useful insects in its special way and learn about inheritance and homeotic genes. Nearby are: live bee colony, live insects, fruitfly breeding area, and rare bettle species. This exhibit is meant to show especially how insects are studied, and some aspects of genetics.
ENORMOUS DIVERSITY (INSECT SPECIMENS)
There is large wavelike wall which weaves all across the room. It exhibits several thousands of mounted colorful butterflies and other insect specimens, called 'enormous diveristy'. The sign asks to find two insects of the same species. There is only one such: male and female stag beetle.
The exhibit shows systematics of invertebrates.