The Children's Museum: Bigger and Better Than Ever

"Siqiniq: Under the Same Sun" introduces young visitors to daily life in today's Arctic. Ingenious displays give children a taste of the language, food, games, art and other activities of their Inuit counterparts. Siqiniq's opening featured guest artists, demonstrations and workshops, and the exhibition was a featured part of the Inuit Cultural Festival, Qaggiq `95, held in February 1995 during Winterlude. The exhibition was developed together with the Tungasuvvingat people of the Eastern Arctic and will travel to seven other children's museums in the U.S., starting in June 1995.
Photo: S. Darby.

The Children's Museum (CM) reached a major milestone this year. Following three years of preparation and three months of being closed for renovations, the expanded and improved facility reopened on December 9, 1994. The new Children's Museum now has triple the exhibition space and a host of exciting new features, with many opportunities for both learning and fun. Most exhibits have been organized around the theme of The Great Adventure, with interactive displays that introduce youngsters to a world of cultures and universal themes.

The official launch, held December 9-11, was a three-day celebration with performances, activities and special guests. Festivities continued throughout December and featured the world's yo-yo champion, two master magicians, roving puppeteers, and many other artists and animators from various cultural communities whose traditions are represented in the International Village. Workshops and activities included: rangoli (the ancient Indian art of sand-painting), figuras de lata (Mexican tin ornaments) and furoshiki (Japanese gift-wrapping). The many activities were the result of weeks of collaboration with regional cultural communities.

The opening events attracted record-breaking crowds and extensive media coverage, including a live broadcast of the inauguration ceremonies on the popular television show TVO Kids. At this time, the Children's Museum also inaugurated its own major temporary exhibition for the year -- Siqiniq: Under the Same Sun. Six other temporary exhibitions opened during the year, including the annual Winter Fun Poster Challenge, developed with the National Capital Commission.

Public Programmes

Taking advantage of its new exhibit areas, the CM ran an expanded roster of public programmes this year. This included a variety of family activities that children and parents could participate in together, based each month on different cultural themes (Japanese and Chinese New Year in January; Inuit traditions in February; Mexico in March). There were workshops in cooking, crafts, art, dance and games; live performances such as Chinese dance, Inuit drumming and signing, and Latin American flute; and a children's "fiesta" sleepover during March break.

In addition to family programming, the CM again presented its Adventures Beyond the Classroom series of workshops for schoolchildren and preschoolers. Other public activity highlights were:

Free admission days and activities for groups of children with special needs, to mark the Year of the Family;
Children's programmes in satellite facilities of the CMC to offset temporary closure of the regular site during Phase II construction;
Participation in cultural events such as the Caribbean Festival and Le Franco -- Festival of the Francophones of the World, and in child-related events such as the Parenting Show.

Outreach and Partnerships

December also saw the launch of a revamped calendar of events for the Children's Museum, now published quarterly and presenting news and previews of exhibitions and programmes.

Collaborative efforts and partnerships were again an important focus. Most programmes and exhibitions were developed with the help of various cultural communities. The Children's Museum participated in the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC), an organization which produces international travelling exhibitions. The Youth Advisory Committee also met regularly and participated in the CMC's Annual General Meeting, reopening events and the March sleepover. Staff worked hard to expand the volunteer corps by launching an agressive recruitment campaign and an intensive training programme. As a result, the Children's Museum gained 27,900 hours of volunteer time this year. In addition, three museology students served their apprenticeships at the Children's Museum and received training from its staff.

Key Statistics -- Children's Museum

218,936 visitors -- 95,000 from reopening to March 31
11,000 visitors to temporary satellite facilities
199 new acquisitions, including an Austin minivan, an Air Kipawa plane and a Suzuki motorcycle
2,144 artifacts
3 loans
850 public programmes
604 school visits (20,126 participants)

Magic School Bus Science Exhibition

A new jointly produced travelling exhibition based on Scholastic Books' Magic School Bus series recently took to the road. The exhibition was developed by the Houston Youth Museum for the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC), of which the Children's Museum is an active member. The launch of the exhibition coincided with the start of a PBS television series by the same name and a major McDonald's promotion in the U.S. and Canada. The exhibition will be duplicated and will travel to 14 children's museums, including the CMC.

Highlights of the New Children's Museum

A trip through the International Village leads to many exciting destinations. These include:

Families, Big and Small -- a Hausa household set in northern Nigeria;
Hands Can -- a home set in Oaxaca, Mexico;
Bonjour, Hello, Konichiwa -- a reconstruction of a Japanese home;
Home on the Go -- a Bedouin tent;
Market Bazaar -- money exchange, market stalls and North African souk;
Toys and Games -- an area devoted to playthings from around the world;
The Pyramid -- an exploration of communications from the past.

On sidetrips children can explore (among other things): international cuisine at the Kids' Café; clothes from other lands at the Clothing Company; the fascination of architecture at Building Works; the world of shipping and trade at The Port; adventures in media at the World Exchange and performing arts at Destination: Imagination.

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