Fun, Even When Raining

Having hosted a seven-year-old and an almost two-year-old at the Shade homestead for almost twenty-four hours, it was time to get outside and do something. Going to the park was at the top of the list for the lovely Madelyn Simone and the delightful Elizabeth Holiday, but the weather refused to cooperate with us. I had noticed a couple of photos on social media taken at the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum in downtown Mansfield, but I’d never checked it out before – perhaps that would be a good option for a dreary Ohio afternoon.

A museum for a toddler and a soon-to-be second grader? Merriam-Webster defines a museum as an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value. It sounded kind of stuffy to me, and I worried a bit as I drove into downtown Mansfield. Could we really spend more than an hour in a museum, I wondered, as we primed the parking meter for a two hour stay? Located in a somewhat nondescript storefront, we quickly discovered that its unassuming exterior belied a bevy of activity taking place within its walls. There’s no way the LBCM can be described as “stuffy.”

What a wonder-filled space for children! As the girls began to explore, each new doorway opened up a new adventure. They took turns in the dental chair, checked out the beauty salon, loaded their shopping carts with food from the grocery store shelves, and climbed into the tree house. Elizabeth gazed with wide eyes at the miniature train that wound its way around the track, and wandered for quite some time with a magnifying glass glued to her face, checking out the nature room butterflies.

Elizabeth and I spent quite some time in the room especially created for the two and under crowd, as she stacked cups and carefully placed colorful rings on their base. She’s still at the age where she stays engaged with one activity for quite some time, so it was a nice break to sit on the floor with her while she practiced her fine motor skills.

There’s a fascinating exhibit (the Gravitron) where the children arrange shapes on a magnetic wall, and then propel a ping pong ball along its track, patiently making adjustments so the ball wouldn’t fly off the track. How fast did the ball need to go? Early physics lessons at work.

When I spotted the three-level water table, I cringed, realizing I hadn’t brought a change of clothes for the girls, less-than-prepared grandmother that I am. Yet the museum had an answer, a variety of waterproof smocks and raincoats that did their best to keep the clothes dry. Madelyn worked on building a pipe system for the water, while Elizabeth was content with dumping the funnels into the water (and sometimes on her belly). As her courage grew, the little one decided to test out the water by ducking her head into it, a sign it was time to move on!

I appreciated the way local businesses and groups were integrated into the museum. The theater space is called the Little Ren, connected to the Renaissance Theater. Adena Contruction sponsored the construction zone, where kids wear hard hats and build to their hearts’ content. The Optimist room allows the children to design and build structures with super-sized Lego-like objects. Speaking of super-size, even fast food gets into the act, as McDonalds offers a pretend restaurant with the familiar golden arches.

I’m not sure “museum” in its traditional sense is the best description for this interactive facility. Nothing is preserved behind glass, and the children are allowed and even encouraged to make noise, touch ‘artifacts,’ and climb on displays, as they themselves become a part of the exhibits. It seems to me that at LBCM, the lasting value of the experiences of its patrons is what’s being preserved – especially in the memories created within its walls.

Most museums have a formal mission statement, but I like the tag line of verbs that runs through the LBCM: Notice. Wonder. Question. Play. A perfect mission as summer days beckon us on. We’ll be back, Little Buckeye!