September 2007

Children’s Museum of Tacoma
A nurturing place for kids and parents

by Karen Irwin

After a month of demolition and construction, the Children’s Museum of Tacoma (CMT) opened its doors to three new exhibits this summer, Learning Lounge: Emotions Matter, Smart Moves with Food and Fitness and New Digs, as well as a program room called Becka’s Clubhouse. All exhibits in the museum’s recent overhaul center around one theme: how to nurture happy, healthy children.

The mission of CMT’s newest exhibits is not just about educating kids. As Debbie Kray, director of education says, “The exhibits aim to help parents and caregivers nurture children by suggesting small steps that reap big results.”

“At least one third of our patrons are parents or caregivers,” Kray adds. “We wanted our new exhibits to offer supportive information for them, too.”

Before designing the exhibits, Kray attended a lecture on emotional intelligence given by Dr. John Gottman, professor of psychology at the University of Washington. She says she learned that emotional awareness and sensitivity, more than IQ, help determine success and happiness in all facets of life, including marriage and career. “Understanding and regulating feelings is a big part of parenting,” says Kray.

Kray decided then that she wanted to help equip parents and children with simple tips on how to deal with emotions, especially when they run hot. She says with some useful tools, parents can guide their children through stormy feelings and work toward a resolution. Kray says many times the emotional needs of a child get overlooked in the busy world of parenting. “It can be difficult for parents to sympathize with a crying 3-year-old when they are trying to find shoes and get out the door.”

The emotional awareness exhibit called Learning Lounge: Emotions Matter, keeps in mind that children learn best through role-playing and hands-on activities. It features spinning wheels, mazes, drawing boards and block games, all exploring emotions. “One of the goals of the Learning Lounge is to help kids gain a vocabulary for their feelings,” Kray explains. “Teaching kids words for their emotions can help give them a sense of control. If they have a sense of control, they can begin to self soothe.” The exhibit also features take-home information on the five steps of emotional coaching.

Pre-readers will need assistance with the exhibit games, but as Kray says, “We want this exhibit to be about parent and child learning together.” The games were designed with the help of Talaris, a Seattle research institute dedicated to the study of parents as first teachers. The exhibit has spent the last year traveling through the Pierce County Library System branches, and Kray says the feedback has been positive.

New Digs also nurtures kids by letting them see and participate in the process of food going from a garden to the dinner table. The colorful exhibit features a neighborhood brimming with container gardens and interactive window boxes. A produce stand and delivery truck give kids a chance to sort, count, weigh, buy and sell a variety of fruits and vegetables. Kray says New Digs is a great opportunity for children to use emerging language and math skills.

The exhibit Smart Moves with Food and Fitness looks like a living space scaled to a child’s size. “We didn’t want to focus on the scary statistics about childhood obesity; we wanted the exhibit to offer some simple steps that make a big impact,” Kray says. Certified nutritionists assisted in the design of matching games featuring “slow,” “go” and “whoa” foods.

Visitors learn “go” foods – mainly fruits and vegetables – can be eaten anytime. “Slow” foods should only be eaten sometimes because they contain fat, sugar and many calories. “Whoa” foods should be limited because they have the most fat, sugar and calories. Visitors can even take home simple healthy recipes. This is all presented in a fun and nonpreachy way, recognizing that kids will want to reach for a cookie, and sometimes that’s OK.

In the tot-size kitchen, kids prepare and serve “meals” to the adults who brought them. The exhibit offers information on how parents can get their children involved in meal preparation at home. For example, 2- to 3-year-olds can scoop dry ingredients, 4- to 5-year-olds can mash potatoes, and 6- to 9-year-olds can help plan and prepare meals.

The “moving” aspect of the Smart Moves exhibit is a bit ambitious given the small size of the Children’s Museum of Tacoma (just under 4,000 square feet.) However, it does feature three types of fitness opportunities: strength, flexibility and cardiovascular. CMT partnered with the YMCA to find just the right activities for the small space, and they maximized it well. Kids can climb a rock wall, try fun stretches in the yoga studio, or get their hearts beating on the self-propelled racers.

Before entering each of the exhibits, adults can pick up parent guides to help them make the best of the visit. They include a list of additional resources featuring books and Web sites.

The museum is well staffed so exhibits stay relatively tidy, even in Becka’s Clubhouse where paint, glue and scissors are in full supply.

Exhibits remain until September 2008.

Karen Irwin is a University Place writer and mother of four.

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