Overview of the project

Project leader: Jenry Mauricio Giraldo Buitrago, mao.giraldo69@gmail.com
Project location: Colombia

Project description:
A Sensoroteca is a space in which objects that can be perceived through taste, hearing, smell, touch and sight are stored. This is the same concept as a library structure but in this case, instead of carrying books, the contents are objects and materials.

The Sensoroteca contains a catalog of objects with which you can make presentations and activities on a topic with an emphasis on multi-sensory character.

The Sensoroteca is directed to different populations with disabilities, minorities, children, and seniors. In the Planetario de Bogota, astronomy is the main theme that guides the activities performed in their facilities. The Sensoroteca Astronomica objects will be equipped to allow discuss issues with space, physics, chemistry and general cosmography, which can be perceived by taste, hearing, smell, touch and sight.

Thus, when at our Space Museum or at our Childrens Room, a guide wants to talk about black holes, you can choose from the available collection of objects those that are related to explain his speech. As such objects may heard, touched, sees, smelled and perhaps tasted, allowing both deaf, the blind, infants or those coming from isolated regions or do not speak Spanish, to interact with concepts and objects involved in this activity.

Some examples of the objects and materials are tactile spheres, space sounds, a universe of odors, kinetic astronomy, heat and cold, infrared astronomy , and models, among others.

The purpose of these activities where multisensoriality is incorporated, is not to create experts in astronomical topics, but awaken interests and promote learning of various kinds.

About the project leader:
Mr Mauricio Giraldo Buitrago. Mr. Buitrago is the Mission Coordinator at the Planetario de Bogotá. – Instituto Distrital de las Artes IDARTES). He has worked at the Maloka Science Museum as coordinator of education in astronomy, at Skyler/Cafam mobile planetarium and at the Bogota Planetarium as education coordinator with projects for children, youth, adults and teachers.