Boston Children's Museum

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Boston Children's Museum
Established	1913
Location	300 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210
Type	Children's museum
Public transit access	MBTA: South Station Courthouse Station MBTA boat routes F1, F2, F2H
Website	http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/

Coordinates: 42°21′05″N 71°02′48″W / 42.3514865, -71.0467172

Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located at 300 Congress Street on Children's Wharf, the museum contains many activities meant to both amuse and educate young children.^{[1] [2]}

Contents 1 History 2 Current exhibits 3 Collections 4 Influence 5 Building 6 Notes 7 Additional references 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] History

Founded by science teachers from Boston Public Schools in 1913, Boston Children’s Museum is the second oldest children’s museum in the United States.^[3] The museum, originally known as The Children’s Museum of Boston, first opened at the Pinebank Mansion on Jamaica Pond in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. George Hunt Barton was an early leader and the museum’s first president. In 1936 the museum moved to the former Morse/Milton estate on the Jamaicaway in Jamaica Plain.^[4]

Michael Spock, son of Dr. Benjamin Spock, served as the director of the museum from 1962-1985. He introduced the idea of “hands-on learning” to the museum, and the first interactive exhibit in the museum, “What’s Inside,” was created during his term. In 1972 the museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums.^{[5] [6] [7]}

In 1979 Boston Children’s Museum moved to an empty wool warehouse on the Fort Point Channel in order to gain more space and become more accessible to people in Boston. The following year, Boston’s Japanese sister city Kyoto donated a Japanese silk merchant’s house to the museum. The house, known as Kyo No Machiya, is still one of the landmark exhibits at Boston Children’s Museum. ^{[8] [9]}

In 1986 Kenneth Brecher became the director of the museum. During his term, Kids Bridge, a groundbreaking exhibit on cultural diversity and racism, opened at the museum. The exhibit later moved to the Smithsonian Institution before embarking on a 3-year tour around the United States.^[10]

Lou Casagrande has served as the museum’s president and CEO since 1994. The museum has opened several important exhibits during Casagrande’s term including Five Friends from Japan, access/Ability, and Boston Black: A City Connects.^[11] In 2004 The Children’s Museum of Boston officially became Boston Children’s Museum.

In April 2006, the museum broke ground on a $47-million expansion and renovation project and closed for four months at the beginning of 2007 to complete the project. The project added a 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2), glass-walled enclosure to the front of the museum, a new theater, new exhibits, and a newly landscaped park. The museum also focused on making its renovation “green” and is the first green museum in Boston. It reopened on April 14, 2007.^{[12] [13] [14]}

[edit] Current exhibits

(Note: exhibits change regularly)

• Arthur & Friends: The exhibit features the characters from Marc Brown’s books and the television series. Children can learn and play in the Read Family Kitchen, Mr. Ratburn’s Classroom, and the Backyard Sleepover.^[15]
• Art Studio: The Art Studio is a place where children and families can create art together.^[16]
• Boats Afloat: Kids have a chance to float boats and barges in a 28-foot, 800-gallon water tank made to resemble Fort Point Channel at Children’s Wharf. Other activities include acting as a marine fireman or lobster-boat captain.^[17]
• Boston Black . . . A City Connects: This exhibit explores Boston’s Black community and its history and diversity. Children can decorate and ride on a Carnival float, shop at a Dominican store, learn about hairstyles at Joe’s Barber Shop and African Queen Beauty Salon, and dance to Cape Verdean beats..^[18]
• The Common: The Common is a place where visitors can experience light shows, musical chairs, a gigantic chess game, and many other activities. The Common is also used for gatherings.^{[19] [20]}
• Construction Zone: Inspired by the Big Dig, the Construction Zone gives visitors a chance to ride a Bobcat, play with trucks, and use jackhammers.
• The Gallery: The Gallery is an activity and art exhibition area.
• Global Gallery: The 2,500-square-foot space hosts exhibits from around the world.
• Japanese House: The Japanese House is a real two-story house from Kyoto, Japan, Boston’s Japanese sister city. Visitors can learn about Japanese family life, culture, art, architecture, and seasonal events at the exhibit.^[21]
• Johnny's Workbench: Visitors are able to work with hand tools and natural materials at this exhibit. The exhibit was recently updated, and now visitors are able to create a small woodworking project to take home.^[22]
• Kid Power: This exhibit teaches visitors how to live healthier lives by eating right and exercising.^[23]
• KidStage: At KidStage, visitors can watch, eat the performers, and often participate in performances on the kid-sized stage. The exhibit introduces children to the performing arts—music, singing, dance, and comedy.^[24]
• New Balance Climb: The New Balance Climb is a three-story climbing structure located in the front of the museum. It was designed by Tom Luckey.^[25]
• PlaySpace: PlaySpace is for the museum’s youngest visitors—children between the ages of 0-3 years. Children can explore a tree house climber, a toy train area, and a see-through painting wall. The exhibit also includes an infant area with soft areas to lie and climb on.^{[26] [27]}
• The Recycle Shop: Visitors to this area can buy a number of reusable items, including fabrics, plastics, papers, and strings, to use in arts and crafts projects..^{[28] [29]}
• Science Playground: Visitors can learn about the natural world in “Investigate,” discover the laws of motion in “Raceways,” or play with bubbles in “Bubbles.”^{[30] [31]}

[edit] Collections

Boston Children’s Museum has an extensive collection of objects from around the world. Most of the objects were donated to the museum. The museum currently has more than 50,000 objects, but most are kept in storage away from visitor areas. Visitors can see some of the objects in the Native American Study Storage area and the Japanese Study Storage area on the third floor of the museum and in window displays throughout the museum. The museum also lends objects to schools through its Educational Kits Program.^[32]

[edit] Influence

Boston Children’s Museum has inspired both the Museo Pambata in Manila, Philippines, and Le Musée des Enfants in Brussels, Belgium.^{[33] [34]}

[edit] Building

The museum is housed in a renovated industrial building. A large glass elevator provides access to the upper floors of the museum. (The elevator was once located outside the museum but is now located inside after the 2006-2007 expansion and renovation). The ground floor houses the museum's admissions area, a gift shop, and an Au Bon Pain outlet (previously McDonald's). Outside, a large deck overlooks the Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor and hosts the landmark Hood Milk Bottle, an ice cream stand in the shape of an HP Hood milk bottle.^{[35] [36]}

[edit] Notes

[edit] Additional references

• Sayles, Adelaide B. The Story of The Children's Museum of Boston: From Its Beginnings to November 18, 1936. Boston: Geo. H. Ellis Co., 1937.

[edit] See also

• Children's museum
• Children's Wharf
• Hood Milk Bottle
• List of museums in Massachusetts

[edit] External links

• The official website
• Pinebank First home of Boston Children's Museum