Minnesota Childrenâs Museum is a non-profit community organization located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. The Museum mission statement is âproviding children with a fun, hands-on and stimulating environment to explore and discoverâ The Museum, in operation since 1981, embraces these core concepts: Early learning is the foundation for lifelong learning. Families are our childrenâs first teachers. All children deserve a time and place to be children. Diverse perspectives enrich childrenâs lives. Play is learning
Location and hours
The Museum is on the corner of 7th and Wabasha Streets in downtown St. Paul. Admission for all ages is $12.95. The museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00Â a.m. to 5:00Â p.m. Friday and Saturday from 9:00Â a.m. to 8:00Â p.m. and Sunday from 9:00Â a.m. to 5:00Â p.m. The museum is also open on Mondays 9:00Â a.m. to 5:00Â p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
History
On December 12, 1981, the first children entered the original Childrenâs Museum, known as âMinnesotaâs AwareHouse,â in downtown Minneapolis. Attendance grew to 80,000, and the Museum quickly outgrew the original space in downtown Minneapolis. In 1985, the Childrenâs Museum moved to an old blacksmithâs shop in Bandana Square, transforming dirt walls into 18,000 square-feet of galleries. By the early 1990s, the Museumâs visitors and exhibits again outgrew the space in Bandana Square. Plans to build an even bigger museum began. The doors to Minnesota Childrenâs Museum in downtown St. Paul opened with 65,000 square-feet of gallery and program space in September 1995. Three of the most popular exhibits moved from Bandana Square to Minnesota Childrenâs Museum in downtown St. Paul: Habitot®; the Crane, which moved to the World Works gallery; and the Maze, which moved to Earth World and became the giant anthill. Today, more than 6 million children and their families have visited the Museum. The Museum is currently planning a $26 million expansion
On December 5, 2016, the Children's Museum closed until its $30 million renovation is complete in Mid-April 2017. When the museum reopens, it will have a different layout and 10 new exhibits, along with a cafe and coffee bar, more bathrooms and elevators.
Galleries
â¢Our World connects children to people and places in their community as they role play âgrownâ"upsâ in a child-size environment.
â¢World Works encourages creativity and problem-solving through investigation and experimentation.
â¢Earth World immerses children in lifelike Minnesota habitats to nurture an understanding of the natural world.
â¢Habitot enables infants and toddlers to safely explore four developmentally designed learning landscapes.
â¢Rooftop ArtPark brings nature and art together in an outdoor gallery on the museumâs fourth-floor
â¢Two special galleries offer traveling exhibits from around the world. Interactive programs, such as Story Time, Big Fun! and live animal programs happen daily.
References
External links
- Official site