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Bobcats Rufus and Tule, stars of the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, were showing off for their visitors on a recent September afternoon. The bobcats purred, rolled on their backs in the sunlight and playfully interacted with one another.

"I want one for a pet!" a young girl exclaimed.

Sensing a teaching moment, Zoo Director Rob Steele stepped in.

"No, they do not make good pets," he said, following up with information on the native wildcats and their natural habits and habitat.

As the Museum and Zoo celebrated it 75th anniversary Sept. 26, its mission -- "to engage children in science and nature" -- was clear, as it has been for the past seven and a half decades.

For children, learning about science and nature involves "concepts, not knowledge. It's about establishing experiences," Executive Director John Aiken said. To facilitate those experiences, the city-run Museum offers a kid-friendly courtyard zoo of small-to-midsize creatures and indoor exhibits that can be played with, manipulated and interacted with.

Currently, the "Clean Green Energy Machines" display allows kids to pedal bikes to power a model "green city" and move objects using wind power.

Three little tow-headed tykes -- Sadie and Charlotte Ibbotson-Brown (ages 3 and 5) and pal Reagan Klein (5) -- grappled with one of the air-power apparatuses. Standing nearby, Aiken noted that while they might be too young to understand the science behind the energy machines, they're becoming familiar with the ideas.

"We come here all the time," Reagan's mother, Jennifer Klein, said. "We live right down the street and the kids love to run around and explore and see the animals."

The Junior Museum and Zoo has seen much development since Palo Altan Josephine O'Hara founded it in a clubroom of a library in 1934. The first children's museum west of the Mississippi, it moved to an Addison Elementary School classroom and the basement of the Children's Theatre before settling in its current location on Middlefield Road near Walter Hays Elementary School in 1942. The zoo, which now houses around 50 animals, was added in 1956, with substantial improvements in 1969.

In its early years, the museum consisted of collected objects such as fossils, bones and artifacts in display cases, while the zoo included a small amount of native wildlife kept in cages, Aiken said. The Museum and Zoo now strives for an interactive, hands-on atmosphere, with more naturalistic environments for its animals, including the bobcats, hedgehogs, reptiles, raccoons, bats, and a variety of birds such as Alexander, the 30-year-old goose, among others.

A replica San Francisquito Creek housing native Palo Alto fish is one pride and joy for Aiken and Steele. So is Clark, a San Francisco garter snake and one of only eight members of the critically endangered species in captivity.

Aiken, who joined the staff a year ago, and supporters of the Museum and Zoo have big plans for the 75-year-old institution, starting with Bobcat Ridge, a $450,000 new habitat for Rufus and Tule. More fruit bats -- to join flying foxes Echo, Sonar and Radar -- have been ordered, and Aiken also hopes to add a redesigned aviary and apply for accreditation from the American Zoo Association.

Education Director Alex Hamilton said outreach to local schools remains a priority, with 11 teachers serving more than 3,000 kids in both after-school and in-school programs, including responsibility for elementary science education for East Palo Alto's Ravenswood City School District.

The Sept. 26 anniversary party featured birthday cake, up-close animal encounters and storytelling, as well as a show including photos and memories from over the years.

"It's fun to see the animals and play the games," said frequent patron Amy Arnes, 7, as she tried out the "green city" exhibit. Though much has changed since 1934, Aiken noted the Museum and Zoo's "root function" of inspiring local children through science hasn't changed.

"Here, kids learn social skills and to care for other forms of life," he said.