Moving the rubber ball across the table isn't a laughing matter. In fact, if you laugh, chances are you'll lose.

The biofeedback game, based on brain waves and one's ability to relax and focus, is just one of many interactive exhibits now on display at ExplorationWorks!, the city's newest attraction.

After years of planning and raising funds, the museum will open its doors Saturday morning to budding scientists, inventors and curiosity seekers with its inaugural exhibit, "Your Healer Within."

During the past month, ExplorationWorks! has hosted celebrations at the new facility, thanking donors and preparing for its grand opening.

Volunteers have received training as docents and tour guides. Experts stand prepared to give nighttime classes for adults on everything from soap making to healthy eating.

"Early on, it was about us learning to interact with people in our new space and fixing the kinks," said Suzanne Wilcox, ExplorationWorks! executive director. "It's been good, taking that gradual approach to opening. It doesn't feel that different than what we've been doing."

Saturday's grand opening looks to be a busy day at the new museum. Mayor Jim Smith and a team of mad scientists will cut the ribbon at 10 a.m. A musician will play at 11 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. A cake-cutting ceremony takes place at noon.

"During the course of the day, we'll build a time capsule," said Becca Leaphart, the museum's youth programs and outreach coordinator. "People will write what they think the world will be like in 10 years. We'll open it in 2017 and see how close they were to predicting the future."

Early entries predict a cure for cancer, cloning (to what extent the entry didn't say), and healthier people.

Much of the new exhibit is dedicated to human health, including holistic healing and the basic functions of the body.

A cut-away heart, one as large as a horse, reveals giant ventricles and atriums. A smaller heart shows the placement of a pacemaker.

Nearby, two pumps demonstrate the difference between the heart of healthy person and that of an obese person. Squeezing a bladder, the participant quickly learns how much harder a heart must work in an overweight human.

"This is TAMI," said Leaphart, moving to a nearby model of a mature woman, otherwise known as the Transparent Anatomical Mannequin. "She's very accurate."

The mannequin's see-through skin reveals a female's inner anatomy. Push buttons begin an instructional voice explaining the function of the major organs, from ligaments and veins to the lungs and breasts.

The museum is one of two in the state that are members of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the other being the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.

Those who purchase an annual $60 family membership to ExplorationWorks! will enjoy free or reduced-rate admission to other ASTC museums across the country, including the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Wash., and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado.

"We really want people to understand that this is for people of all ages," said Wilcox. "There's something here for everyone."

Every two months, the museum's exhibit will change. In January, a new exhibit dubbed "Exploring the Air" will demonstrate the functions of flight and aerodynamics, among other things.

The museum has been anticipated for years. ExplorationWorks! broke ground on the new facility in July 2005.

The 13,500 square foot museum, located on the north end of the Great Northern Town Center, represents what organizers have called the epitome of a community project.

"We've been working on this since ExplorationWorks! was founded in 2000," said Wilcox. "It's a big project going from nothing to something. I think we've learned a lot."

Wilcox said the organization's experience throughout the past few years -- putting the project together -- will help make phase two of the museum that much easier.

"We're much more prepared as an organization," she said. "What we have here is a great beginning. But we have lots more planned."

Other exhibits now on display include "Dance-Dance Revolution," a game of musical coordination, which Leaphart demonstrated with bold agility.

A bony skateboarder shows the position of the human skeleton in motion while a virtual pond helps sooth the senses. A play area dubbed "Little Sky Country" gives kids 5 and under room to roam.

"Teachers from all over the area have come to check things out," said Leaphart. "The response has been very positive."

ExplorationWorks! is owned by Community Works, Inc. The nonprofit corporation is a joint tenant at the facility with the city of Helena.

To find out more, call 457-1800, or attend the museum's grand opening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Great Northern Town Center.

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com