Among the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire’s new attractions are playground-style diggers. Outside, you'll find sidewalk-based fun.

Most people love to experience something new when in a familiar space. The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire played with this notion by combining several creative ideas and funds, generated from 9 months of consecutive revenue growth and award money from KaBOOM!, to design new features and exhibits meant to delight the most playful participants. 

A featured change to the inside of the Children’s Museum comes in the form of the new Arts Café. Located in the basement of the museum, the redeveloped art room will allow kids to create “flavor of the day” projects as they mix and mingle at the color bar. This creative little café will also have local artists scheduled to work in the space on a monthly basis, providing the kids with opportunities to see artwork being crafted in real time. Exposure to the live art being created could also lead to collaborative experiences between the kids and the artists. 

The Kidstruction zone was also newly renovated. The new changes hope to channel every kid’s inner excavator when sitting on one of two large diggers meant to move piles of shredded, rubber-like material. As explained by Jacqueline Van Hemert, director of programs and events for the museum, the more hands-on exhibits are meant to provide kids with a space to have fun and tinker, explore, and create. In addition, the staff at the museum hopes to create a space where guardians can actively engage in the playing as well. “As parents, you are your kid’s very first play partner,” Van Hemert said. “Most of the exhibits are designed to promote that.” 

The Toddler Park has also changed slightly with a new mural created by Janelle Isaacson-Whitehouse and a nursing nook where guests can feed their infants in a quiet, private space. The nursing nook also includes books and toys to help distract older siblings who will accompany mom or dad in the space.

Looking about 3-6 months into the future, the museum also hopes to open the “FailSafe Learning Lab,” a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) area on the top floor of the museum.  Designed to mimic the Google Headquarters, the science room is a hands-on, experience driven space where students and parents can experiment with coding, view large-scale 3D printing demonstrations, and participate in Dr. Labcoat’s Science Bar shows.

Although the additions and revisions to the exhibits inside the museum are significant, the Children’s Museum beat out thousands of national applications to become one of fifty recipients awarded money for the their playful ideas in The Play Everywhere Challenge. The $1 million national competition was hosted by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing balance and active play into the daily lives of all kids. The challenge was centered on developing playful experiences in the most mundane spaces as a way to make play easy, accessible, and fun for kids and families. The award of $15,000 will primarily pay for the design and installation of the interactive play boards located on the Grand Avenue side of the building. The entire project is estimated to cost $15,750. Phil Rechek, director of operations for CMEC, saw The Play Everywhere Challenge as the perfect opportunity to spruce up the dull side of the building where buses transport students visiting for field trips. “That area [of the building] was kind of boring, frankly, and it needed some attention,” explained Rechek.  

An attention-getter it should prove to be. Due to the ever-changing weather conditions, the three play boards are designed with durability in mind. The first of three boards will include a space where kids and adults can play classic games like tic-tac-toe. The board also includes a larger than life Twister spinner where kids and parents can put their right hands on red as they walk to the car or wait for the bus. The second board focuses on the art of making music by providing students with a chance to experiment with a variety of noisemakers and musical instruments. Finally, the last board highlights a more global experience in an attempt to teach kids about the different cultures found within the Chippewa Valley. The planning and development of the boards came from a team assembled at the museum but Steve Larson, a well-known and respected designer of exhibits, will be responsible for building the boards.  

“Our dream for this is that it starts a movement in our public spaces, our bus stops, and sidewalks so that it provides play in these areas that don’t have play currently,” said Rechek. To him, putting the kids first and providing opportunities for all kids to play is the ultimate outcome of the se outside boards. “Cities that create great places to play are cities that become great places to raise a family,“ explained Rechek. “And when kids and families thrive, cities thrive, too.” 

For a glance at the artist schedules and other events happening at the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, go to the programs page at childrensmuseumumec.com.