Kids see the darnedest things

Planners associated with Body Worlds 3, which opened Friday at the St. Louis Science Center, don't recall children crying, screaming or running away. No one recalls reports of children having nightmares or other problems. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Anecdotes abound about children having to leave or be carried out of visiting Body Worlds exhibits. The exhibit is made up of real human bodies and organs that have undergone a process called "plastination." The process turns organic tissue into plastic while preserving it so precisely - below the cellular level - that it can be used for research. Curators built the Body Worlds 3 exhibit for St. Louis on the theme of athletics and movement. The full-body remains are in positions associated with Olympic-style sports - a hurdler, a runner, a gymnast. The exhibit also includes organs that are healthy and organs damaged by injury and disease, especially illness related to lifestyle. It could be enough to scare small children, but planners say problems are rare. "The only horror show is when people realize what smoking and obesity do to their bodies," says Cindy Encarnacion, associate director of life sciences for the St. Louis Science Center. In Chicago, "I took my 6-year-old daughter to the exhibit, and she was as fascinated as I was." In fact, the show, in its third version, generally has a positive impact on children, says Gail Hamburg, director of communications for Body Worlds USA. "What we get most is children coming out of the exhibit wanting to be doctors," she says. "In the very least, they come out with a greater appreciation of their bodies and of life." PREPARATION IS URGED The Science Center has no age limit for Body Worlds 3. But children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Randall Flanery, a pediatric psychologist with St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, suggests the approach to taking children of all ages is to be prepared. First, discuss the program with your children before going. The Science Center's website (www.slsc.org) has several photos you could show your kids. Then stress the educational aspect of the exhibit, not the fact that they'll be looking at corpses. Also, Flanery says, "I don't want parents to be overprotective. Children can handle a lot. But they're also sensitive if you doubt that they can handle it." Flanery says that talking the show over with children regardless of age prepares them for what they see. The younger, the more age-appropriate your explanations need to be. Hamburg said Body Worlds staff examined Missouri life sciences curriculum to make sure the program paralleled what young people were studying, so that older children would be better prepared. Flanery says being prepared starts with anticipating questions children may ask. WHAT YOUR CHILD MIGHT ASK Q: What if a child asks: "Are these dead people?" A: It's truthful to say, these are plastic representations of what bodies are like. "Don't stress that these are dead people. For a young child, the best answer is that these are plastic models of how people look inside." Q: What if he asks: "Is this what happens to you when you die?" A: "Answer not for most people. These are very special people who want to help us learn about the human body, and they allowed this to be done." Q: One intense exhibit is on fetal development. What happens when the child is startled by the images? A: "That would be hard," Randall Flanery, a pediatric psychologist with St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, says. "You would go back to ... this is a plastic representation of what a baby looks like inside the mom." That part of the exhibit is in a room, and it can't be seen without actually going into the room. Doug King, president of the Science Center board, said that was done on purpose because of the delicate nature of the exhibit. Q: One of the exhibits compares a smoker's blackened and pockmarked lungs to healthy lungs. A child looks at the parent who smokes and asks, "Do your lungs look like that?" A: "You have to answer truthfully," Flanery says. "I'd shy away from saying that you look all diseased. That would be kind of scary for the child. But there's no point in saying you have perfectly healthy lungs if you're sitting there smoking a cigarette all the time." ANTICIPATING A CHILD'S BEHAVIOR Q: Should you send your children with a field trip or take them yourself? A: "That depends on how reassured a child is," Randall Flanery says. "A lot of children want to go with friends and classmates. It depends on your understanding of your child." Q: What if they see something they think of as a pet? For example, one of the exhibits is the cardiovascular system of a lamb. Another is of a rooster. A: "Still stress that these are plastic models." Q: You've spent a lot of money on tickets (they are as much as $18 a person). Your child stands in line for a long time, listens to people talking about the bodies, gets stressed out, gets a peek in the door and says without warning, "I don't want to go!" A: "I feel sorry for parents who find themselves in that situation," Flanery says. "If the child is a little bit anxious, you want to work with the child. But try to find out and understand their reluctance and try to get them to carry through as much as possible. Ultimately, if they're really, really anxious, unfortunately, I wouldn't make too big of an issue because it won't work. Don't coerce them if they're frightened."