National Children's Museum

With a commitment to making hands-on learning experiences as accessible as possible, we are excited to share our revamped National Children’s Museum website! This redesign includes features such as sitewide mobile optimization, easy-to-use navigation systems, search functionality, and compliance with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Whether you’re requesting a field trip, becoming a member, or just want to learn more about the Museum and our offerings, we hope this new site helps you find the fun a whole lot easier! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/ehukEJSg This website redesign was made possible by the District of Columbia Executive Office of the Mayor - Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

Introducing our 2024 Dreamers Gala Honorees! ?? ?Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton helped put the “National” in National Children’s Museum, spearheading House Resolution 13 in 2003 that provided Capital Children’s Museum with a congressional designation as the National Children’s Museum. ?As former President and CEO of National Children’s Museum, Crystal Bowyer helped shape the institution into the world-class, hybrid children’s museum and science center that it is today. Don’t miss our historic 50th anniversary Dreamers Gala on December 7, and help us celebrate these true champions of early education! https://lnkd.in/eJNXeAcf

Please join us in welcoming our newest Dreamer-in-Chief! We are thrilled to announce that the Museum’s Board of Trustees has unanimously appointed Kiryn Hoffman to the role of President + CEO. Kiryn comes to the Museum from New York Hall of Science as their Chief Advancement Officer and Interim Deputy President and CEO. A trained chemist, she brings more than twenty years of high-level strategy experience and expertise in fundraising for science and education based non profit organizations, including roles as Vice President and Chief Development Officer The New York Academy of Sciences and the Director of Major Giving and Capital Campaigns Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Kiryn will oversee the day-to-day operations and guide the long-term strategy of the Museum, as well as implement the institution’s 2024 - 2029 strategic plan. Kiryn will officially step into her new role on October 21, 2024, ahead of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary Dreamers Gala in early December. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ehrscS7X

Hit PBS KIDS television character Daniel Tiger is coming to our Visiting Exhibit Hall! Starting September 14, visitors can explore the Neighborhood and work together to solve problems, use their imaginations to transform their surroundings, and play along with Daniel’s singable strategies to learn life’s little lessons. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit,? now open through January 5, 2025 in our Visiting Exhibit Hall. Created by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with Fred Rogers Productions. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/eEbNjcWm Locally sponsored by PNC.

National Children’s Museum has been named a recipient of the Museums Empowered Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)! This initiative is part of the Museums for America grant program which aims to generate systemic change within museums across the country. National Children’s Museum will use the grant to support its Maker-Learning Environments Professional Development project. Over the next 24-months the Museum will partner with the Scott Family Amazeum, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and The Bakken Museum to create an internal staff training program to deliver effective and consistently high-quality activities and facilitation, specifically in the Museum’s tinkering space. Thank you to IMLS for encouraging positive change in institutions across the country and for supporting the Museum in building the best environment for our little Dreamers! Read the official press release to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dgAqiA9W

Channel your inner child while empowering the next generation of Dreamers!? On December 7, join us for our 21+ Dreamers Gala, a wondrous evening of fine dining, dancing, and community in support of the Museum’s critical work. From its elegant dinner to its playful afterparty, the Dreamers Gala celebrates our 50th anniversary and all who made this momentous milestone possible. Learn more and purchase your tickets at https://lnkd.in/e7eBmkxk

We are excited to announce the launch of our Stories Project! An initiative dedicated to collecting fond recounts of the Museum since its founding in 1974, the Stories Project invites you—our supporters, our friends, our employees past and present, our community—to share your memories with the Museum. As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we’ll compile these stories into an archive to both remember our past and look forward to our future. Follow the link below to learn how you can share your memories and be a part of celebrating 50 years of play. https://lnkd.in/erDeMZ7c

To celebrate our 50th anniversary since founding, we have been gearing up to explore Mexico in our new exhibit Placita Mágica, opening on June 29! Found at the intersection of past and present, this bustling market installation commemorates our history as Capital Children’s Museum, reimagining the beloved 1979 Mexico village exhibit with fresh features and interactive activities. At Placita Mágica, today’s young learners can celebrate cultural traditions and broaden their sense of community through the lens of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Placita Mágica is produced by National Children’s Museum sponsored by ABUELITA?, with cultural support provided by the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, DC, and is partially supported through?the District of Columbia Executive Office of the Mayor - Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Learn more about Placita Mágica and how you can be a part of celebrating 50 years of play at https://lnkd.in/e3r7VMr3.

Yesterday we unveiled our partnership with the Washington Commanders Foundation for the reimagining of our Little Movers exhibit. Little Movers is a free-movement space for our youngest dreamers to build gross and fine motor skills. With support from the Washington Commanders Foundation, the space now has a new look and will be updated this summer with new play structures creating an immersive experience for young fans and their caregivers to move, jump, crawl, and play.

We are grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside colleagues from across the country this week at the Association of Children's Museums InterActivity conference in Madison, WI, as well as the American Alliance of Museums 2024 Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo in Baltimore, MD. If you're heading to Madison, join our amazing team members, Director of Exhibits and Education, Erik Smith, and Senior Manager of Exhibits, Langley Lease as they help lead discussions on exhibits at ACM. You can find them at the "Interactivity Incubators: Temporary Exhibits for Your Empty Spaces" and "Flash Talks: Flourishing, Belonging, and Risks" sessions. See you there!