Kidspace Children's Museum
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Kidspace Children's Museum is located next to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Since the December 2004 opening of its new facility in Brookside Park, Pasadena, Kidspace Children’s Museum has provided local community children with an unparalleled space for creative and interactive learning that has made it the premier children's museum in Southern California.
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[edit] History
1979: Kidspace Children's Museum officially launched at the California Institute of Technology. A community project of the Junior League of Pasadena, Kidspace addressed a critical educational need in the San Gabriel Valley: increased access to the arts, humanities and sciences for children. Volunteers created and presented a prototype interactive exhibit, "Making Senses," designed to stimulate the interest and curiosity of children by featuring robotics and neon light displays. More than 10,000 young visitors, their parents and teachers participated in the first exhibition during its six-week run, a significantly larger turnout than the 2,000 visitors expected.
1980: The Museum opened its doors in the Rosemont Pavilion on scenic Arroyo Seco parkland with long-term "hands-on" exhibits. Among other organizations, exhibit design and construction were the product of community collaborations with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Art Center College of Design and UNOCAL. Volunteers helping create the new museum included a Pasadena Unified School District superintendent, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory director and an originating director of the Princeton Junior Museum, all of whom provided expertise and guidance as members of the Museum's first Board of Advisors.
1981: With burgeoning support, Kidspace leased a larger and more accessible site from Pasadena Unified School District in the heart of Pasadena. Later that year, Kidspace Children's Museum was incorporated as a private, nonprofit children's museum with a mission of enriching the lives of children through an interactive learning environment that is fun for families.
1982-1990: Kidspace introduced participatory exhibits and educational programs that engaged and educated children in the arts, humanities and sciences. Quarterly themes, such as Homes and Habitats, Seasons and Celebrations and Children of the World at Play, provided focus during public programming and school tours.
1991-1995: Kidspace had established its reputation as an innovative institution in the community. A new school programs coordinator met specific needs of teachers to coordinate curriculum with visits to the museum. In addition, campers enrolled in summer workshops and "Toddlers on the Move" provided popular and effective parenting classes and developmental play. With the energetic support of community volunteers and the Circle of Friends support group, the staff produced a range of annual events, including the Rosebud Parade (a child-sized Rose Parade), the "creatively creepy" Haunted House, Critter Expo and the Eco-Arts Festival. This period of growth was charted by Kidspace's first comprehensive strategic plan to broaden its reach into the community, fortify its volunteer base and respond to the critical needs of the community's schools, children and families.
1996: The Kidspace Board of Directors adopted a strategic plan to grow the museum from a small local attraction to a major Southern California cultural and educational destination. 2002: Kidspace closed its former site at McKinley School in Pasadena and began renovation of the historic Fannie Morrison Horticultural Center buildings at Brookside Park in the Arroyo Seco.
2005: The new Kidspace features world-class exhibitry and 2.2 acres of gardens designed to encourage children to discover the excitement of learning, while engaging in the creativity of play. Two three-story climbing towers and more than two acres of outdoor arroyo-scape environments designed by Nancy Goslee Power include 14 different seasonal gardens and 10 unique exploration and discovery stations.
[edit] Partners
Over the years Kidspace has received funding from many individuals including Jud and Marilyn Roberts, the Boone Family, Mark Taper, and others. Community partnerships have been formed with the City of Pasadena, the Junior League of Pasadena, Nestle Corporation, and others.
[edit] Inside the Museum
Kidspace features exhibits, programs and activities that encourage a child’s growth and development through explorations of the environment, investigations in science, and artistic forms of expression that captivate the inquisitive and growing minds of children ages 2 to 10.
Inside the museum are a variety of different exhibits and displays:
Bugsy's Diner Learn about the anatomy and feeding habits of insects and take down some recipe ideas from “The Bug Food Channel,” such as baby bee dip, banana worm bread, or roasted cricket pizza.
The Dig Uncover plant and animal fossils native to the arroyo and discover past life forms! Play the part of a paleontologist, while you investigate the dig site. Or stop by the life size vintage utility vehicle.
Shake Zone Create an earthquake by pushing large tectonic plates against each other to see how the Earth’s own shifting and sliding causes those quakes. Learn how mountains erode, and check out the map of the local area to track recent earthquake activity in Southern California.
Outside in the museum gardens is:
Gardens Take a stroll through our many gardens, designed by internationally recognized landscape artist Nancy Goslee Power, and discover many plants native to the arroyo setting.
Water Play Outdoor water features invite and encourage kids to splish splash to their heart's content.
Trike Tracks Learn the rules of the road while having safe fun. Weave your way through the Wisteria Courtyard on any one of the special Kidspace tricycles.
[edit] Educational Programs
ON-SITE PROGRAMS Daily activities and programs happen at the museum and include projects such as leaf rubbing in an outdoor garden, watercolor painting, interactive music and movement, story time. Weekly workshops include Art al Fresco, which introduces fine art pieces and painting/drawing techniques, Garden Adventures to employ the senses for nature-based experiencesand Early Learners programs with music and movement to stimulate young thinkers.
Monthly workshops and classes are available for kids to further explore natural science, the arts and music and for parents to open up dialog about parenting and encourage positive interactions between child and caregiver. Classes for early learners (registration and fees required):
Kidspace is known for several annual events involving the greater Pasadena community: “Rosebud” Parade when children decorate their own set of wheels and parade down South Lake Avenue in Pasadena, like a mini version of the world-famous New Year's Day Rose Parade, Caterpillar Adoption Days when children can adopt their own caterpillar and observe its metamorphosis, eventually letting the butterfly into the wild, and a huge October pumpkin fair and festival.
OFF-SITE PROGRAMS Kidspace On the Road: Fee-based, offsite educational program designed to bring the Kidspace experience to school, community centers and festivals. Our skilled and energetic educators provide an engaging, interactive approach to teaching that promotes exploration, investigation, and expression through activities that are aligned with both National and California Content Standards. Programs focused on physical, life and earth sciences as well as seasonal programs such as insect lifecycles.
[edit] Outreach
KO-OP: Community outreach program partnering with nine local elementary schools within the Pasadena Unified, Glendale Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts to bring hands-on science programs to the classroom. Series of programs includes two classroom visits and two field trips to Kidspace Children’s Museum. By partnering with teachers and educators, KO-OP provides specialized learning experiences to classes free of charge.
