All NEW Exhibits

Museum Opens Smart Moves, New Digs, Emotions Matter and Becka’s Clubhouse

For Immediate Release

Contact: Debbie Kray, Director of Education      253.627.6031


Tacoma, WA – The Children’s Museum of Tacoma unveiled a whole new look and all new exhibits in its quest to celebrate the power of play and remain the cornerstone of early learning for children and adults. Everything is new at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma: from a sign in the front window to a new program room to a suite of new exhibits. On Saturday, June 2  – after three weeks of demolition and rebuilding – the Museum opened its doors to three new exhibits, Smart Moves, New Digs, and Learning Lounge: Emotions Matter, and a new program room Becka’s Clubhouse.

Smart Moves with Food and Fitness explores how small changes in eating and physical activity habits can have a big impact on children’s lives. Through dramatic and explorative play, adults and children discover healthy options in selecting foods and beverages.  From the tot-sized kitchen to matching games, they choose when and what physical activities to participate in. Exhibit areas also include a climbing wall, roller course and kids’ yoga workout studio.

Smart Moves with Food and Fitness is presented by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The exhibit is generously supported by the William Kilworth Foundation, Ben B. Cheney Foundation, Baker  Foundation, Pierce County Gets Fit (MultiCare Center for Healthy Living, Tacoma-Pierce County YMCA, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department), Rainier Pacific Foundation, The Fund for Healthy Youth of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation: contributions provided by Class XI American Leadership Forum Tacoma/Pierce County Chapter, Regence BlueShield, Union Bank of California and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. Special thanks to Lizzy Rockwell for generously providing images from her books Good Enough to Eat, HarperCollins, and The Busy Body Book, Crown Publishers. In-kind supporters include Modern Builders, Inc.; Gray Lumber Company; and Joni Joachims.

New Digs offers urban gardening at its smallest. The exhibit features a neighborhood brimming with container gardens and interactive window boxes. A produce stand and delivery truck offer abundant opportunities to sort, count, weigh, buy and sell a vibrant bounty of fruits and vegetables. Garden to table connections are made as children role-play in the sidewalk café, whipping up tasty treats or ordering a fresh lunch. New Digs also offers a special space just for toddlers and their grown-ups. New Digs is supported by KeyBank.
 
The Museum’s Learning Lounge, an exhibit space dedicated to providing easily accessible parenting and child development information to visitors, will feature Emotions Matter. Spinning wheels, mazes, drawing boards, and emotion block games provide opportunities for children and adults to talk about emotions. Children gain the tools to recognize their emotions and adults have the opportunity to understand their childąs emotions in new ways ¬all through play! This popular exhibit has spent the past year traveling through Pierce County at Pierce County Library System branches. Emotions Matter is supported by a grant from the Child Care Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and support from The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Boeing Company and Talaris Research Institute.

Along with opening the new exhibits, the Children’s Museum of Tacoma has transformed Becka’s Studio into Becka’s Clubhouse. Thanks to Modern Builders, Inc., art exploration can now spill out across the entire room. A wall, a door and vibrant paint make it a private, fun place for birthday boys and girls and their guests to celebrate. Becka’s Clubhouse gives art workshops, ˇOlé!, weekday afternoon activities, and WOW more room for exploration and play.


Related Programming
Thursdays in June, July and August
Columbia Bank Free Market Play Days
Families can visit the Children’s Museum of Tacoma for FREE every Thursday in June, July and August for the Columbia Bank Free Market Play Days.  Hosted in conjunction with the Downtown Tacoma Farmer’s Market, Market Play Days provides the perfect opportunity for indoor and outdoor exploration and play in the garden and market throughout the summer!  Sponsored exclusively by Columbia Bank.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:30 am - 11 am
WOW: Wee One’s Weekly                                                                                       
Enjoy thematic, musical programs just for toddlers, preschoolers, and their grown-ups. 
Cost: $2.00 per family plus admission. Ask about pre-paid punch cards.
No WOW on July 3 and 4.
Sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank.

Fridays, 9:30 am - 11 am
ˇOlé!  Passport to Play
Join us for songs, stories and hands-on activities in Spanish!  Perfect for toddlers, preschoolers and their adults. 
Cost: $5 per family plus admission, or purchase a 3-session passport for $12.75.  No registration required.
No ˇOlé! the first Friday of each month: July 6, August 3 and September 7.

 
Each weekday afternoon the Children’s Museum of Tacoma offers active programs, free with admission. The following session’s activities directly reflect the content in the Museum’s new exhibits.

Wednesdays, 3:45 pm
Smart Moves and Grooves
Move and groove your way to healthy eating habits and fit bodies through facilitated games and activities.  Free with admission.

Fridays, 3:45 pm
Learning Lounge Fun
Listen to stories, play games and draw pictures based on Emotions Matter with Museum Play Guides.  Free with admission.

Children’s Museum of Tacoma
From the backyard to the moon, the Children’s Museum of Tacoma celebrates the power of play in the life-long journey of learning. The museum’s imaginative environment, with exhibits that change regularly, reaches beyond home and school experiences to nurture young children ages 1 – 8. The museum’s stimulating programming and hands-on exhibits allow children to test their independence and gain self-confidence through the arts, sciences and creative play while presenting adults and parents with the tools to understand and support them. Since its establishment in 1986, by local parents, teachers and community leaders, the museum has become a cornerstone of early education in the South Puget Sound region.

MUSEUM HOURS: Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm; Sun noon – 5pm, First Fridays Free 10am – 7pm
MUSEUM ADMISSION: $6.00 per visitor, Free the first Friday of each month
MUSEUM LOCATION: 936 Broadway, Tacoma WA 98402
INFORMATION: 253.627.6031 or www.ChildrensMuseumofTacoma.org

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