The exhibit consists of 18 hands-on displays. They're all quite different; the only thing they have in common is (you guessed it!) circles.

My daughter loved turning the gears that prompted a doll to dance. She also enjoyed climbing into a traditional Vietnamese round boat (which, she informed me, would take her to Mars). Other favorites included the right-angled mirror display, where we arranged triangular slips of paper against the glass to form a circle using the reflection, and a video that showed interesting examples of circles throughout the world. Since my daughter was the one controlling the video with a dial, she kept replaying the footage of a man throwing pizza dough into the air over and over. And over.

At a particularly challenging station, my kid attempted to pull large bricks in carts with wheels and without. She really enjoyed showing off her strength. For visitors old enough to read, there was also an interesting placard explaining why the wheel was so dang hard to invent.

In fact, all of the stations had cards that shared interesting background information and historical context. For the preschool set, the circles are just cool and, well, circle-y, but elementary-school students will be better able to appreciate the "secrets" promised in the exhibit's title, including the ways different cultures have used and celebrated circles over the centuries.

Secrets of Circles is great fun for children up to around 10. It kept my preschooler entertained for over an hour! And older kids seemed to be having a great time, too. I spotted some good-natured tweens colonizing the round boat, taking it, presumably, somewhere besides Mars.

Secrets of Circles is on view at the Brooklyn Children's Museum through March 4. Free with museum admission: $7.50.


Read about other current kid-friendly exhibits around NYC.