The Children's Museum opened in August 2008 and is still growing!
OUR TOWN WING
Florida Town
When you enter the Museum, it is as if you have entered a child-sized Floridian town. There is a grocery store, a traditional Floridian cracker house, a wellness center and a beach-themed toddler play area. At the Our Town Market children will be able to role play shopping for produce, dairy, meats and drygoods, complete with shopping carts and checkout stations. They will also have the opportunity to work in the market as a clerk or cashier. There will also be an interactive called “What’s that Smell?” which teaches children about the 4 types of taste through smelling various unidentified foods. The “Favorite Meals” Interactive will allow the children to look up a recipe for a meal and then shop for those ingredients in the store. A recycling center will teach what happens to the things we recycle.
The Cracker House
In the Cracker House exhibit children will learn about the architecture of a cracker house and why it was significant and practical for early Floridian lifestyle. Children will also get the opportunity to compare houses in Florida to those around the world in the “Guess Which House is Mine” interactive. Budding architects and artists will be able to design their own dream homes using templates in another area of the house. And sure to be a favorite is the “Build your Dream House” interactive in which children use 3’ x 6’ interlocking planks to build their own kid-sized home.
A Day at the Beach
Babies and toddlers will enjoy “A Day at the Beach” complete with a riverwalk, lighthouse and toddler boat. They will experience lots of climbing in around and through things, shape recognition and tactile learning. There will also be a “Look at Me by the Sea” interactive in which the toddlers can peek through portholes and discover themselves dressed as various seafaring characters.
Our Town Wellness Center
Finally, in the Our Town Wellness Center children will learn about their body systems enjoying interactives involving a healthy heart, breathing and lung function, digestion and the digestive system, bones and the skeletal system, and the functions of the brain. There will also be opportunities to learn about germs and hygiene, diet and exercise and who helps you when you’re hurt.
Car Care Center
Imagine yourself a racecar driver or a skilled mechanic. Children will change a tire, check underneath the chassis, or trade in an old muffler. Children have the opportunity to role-play and also learn the laws of physics with hands-on manipulation of tools. They also get to choose whether their vehicle is a family car, a taxi, a delivery van, or the fire chief's car
Vet Clinic
Children will be able to play the role of veterinarian. Just like a real veterinarian, children will get to wear a lab coat while examining stuffed dogs and cats with mini stethoscopes. Children will view x-rays and apply bandages. They will also have a chance to find out what pet best suits their family, or if they are ready and responsible to own a pet.
EXPLORER GALLERY
Spanish Galleon
Marti Frances
Bienvenido a Bordo!
Welcome Aboard our 16thCentury Spanish Galleon, Packed with 15 different interactive exhibits.
Pack your trunk for a 90 day voyage and follow Juan, our ships cabin boy, to see if you have what it takes to sail the high seas. Children will learn how important it is for each crew member to work together, whether it’s working below deck in our galley, cooking for the crew or sealing the leaks of the ship before sinking. Children will be able to load and fire the cannons while keeping the ship safe from enemies. Learn to navigate through the open seas, be the lookout as you watch the horizon and peak into our Captains quarters. Children can fish for the daily catch and learn to identify which fish swim in freshwater, brackish water or salt water.
Florida Town
