A Taste of a Museum to Come

Whew…summer is here—well, unofficially anyway. Isn’t it fabulous? Warm weather means we can finally take our kiddos outside. Of course, we’ve already had a few days in the 90s which are too hot for kids—or pregnant mothers!

Not able to bear the heat outside and unable to face another day watching Maisie climb the furniture (and my hair turn all the grayer), I recently took Maisie to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (212 W 83rd St). What a great place!! Basically, it’s a giant playhouse with an educational bent. It has a giant Lite-Brite, a fire truck, a sand area, walls to paint, and far more— everything you’d love to have in your own home. Maisie’s favorite was probably the fire truck, even though she refused to put on the little costume. Darn! Photo op missed. Anyway, there are exhibits for kids of all ages, probably up to about age 10 or so. Maisie had a blast and I felt like I’d been to Canyon Ranch. I relaxed while Maisie entertained herself. Whew.

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Of course, it’d be really nice to go to a children’s museum here in Westchester, but there isn’t one—yet. But soon… soon….

This year, Westchester is finally getting underway on a long-awaited museum of its own. It’s going to be on part of the boardwalk at Rye Playland. The plan is to revamp the old Bathhouses there and turn them into a really special place for kiddos. First, they’ll spend six to eight months restoring the structure and then they’ll start on the exhibits. Wahoo!!!

Anxious to get going? Well, you can get a little taste of what it’s all about on Sunday, June 13 from 9 am to noon at the third annual fundraiser called Explore-a-Thon. The whole idea is to give you an idea of what you can expect when the museum opens. There will be sticky water, color wheels, bubbles, slime, magic magnets, music, and more.

Now, it’s not cheap—$75 for a family pass—but, then again, you get a magical morning for the kids and are contributing to a fabulous place we can all use whatever the weather. Go! The more money they raise, the better the place will be!!

In the meantime, you also can head to Stepping Stones Museum in Matthews Park in Norwalk, Connecticut. We took Maisie there last summer. Truth? Unlike the museum in Manhattan, Stepping Stones doesn’t have much for tiny kids, but for older kids—maybe three to ten or so—there’s a ton of things to do. I actually prefer Manhattan for the tiny kids and Stepping Stones for older kids. The Connecticut place has a spot for playing dress-up, water tables, nifty science things like a dental exhibit, a giant playroom with foam building blocks and noodles, and oh so much more. It’s another very cool place and a great way to spend a too-hot summer day.

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These other two museums may be great, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the museum right here in Westchester will top ‘em all. Fingers crossed, anyway!

 

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