National Children’s Museum Opens

By Michelle Phipps-Evans

It has taken eight years, but area kids have their own museum back again. The National Children’s Museum (NCM) opened its brand new doors at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Md., on Dec. 13. Scores of Washington area children joined by Sesame Street characters to welcome back the museum, which closed its Northeast DC location in 2004. The new facility boasts 18,000 sq. ft. of play space, featuring exhibits to encourage children to learn through play.

“I hate to be clichéd but it’s been a long journey,” said museum president and chief executive J. Willard Whitson. “We’re happy for the opportunity to be the cultural anchor here at the National Harbor. I want them to have the opportunity to learn from play, a necessary part of childhood.”

Children interacted with each exhibit, excitedly trying on clothes, playing with cars, and enjoying other hands-on learning experiences.

“I think it’s just great, I like that it’s so open, I can keep track of my kids,” said Rebecca Green, a mommy blogger with two young children from Columbia Heights in the District. “They like the kitchen but I like the political stuff.”

Founded as the Capital Children’s Museum in 1974, the museum shuttered its aging, inadequate location near Capitol Hill in 2004 and functioned as a “museum without walls,” serving the area through community and school outreach programs, traveling exhibits and partnerships. In 2003, the U.S. Congress had identified the need for a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution designed especially for children, and designated the CCM as the National Children’s Museum. As the only congressionally designated museum focused on children, its mission is to inspire children to care about and improve the world.

The Sesame Street-themed “3 & Under Gallery,” created in partnership with Sesame Workshop, facilitates exploration for visitors under three feet tall or younger than age 3.

“Sesame Street has helped with the development of the child that it seemed like a natural fit for the museum,” said Peter van Roden, vice president for themed entertainment at Sesame Workshop, who approached the NCM about partnering on the venture. The workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. “It felt like the right marriage,” he said.

Another exhibit, “Our World,” familiarizes children with community citizenship through three fundamental areas: Map Zone offers a contextual and physical global perspective; My Town demonstrates that citizenship starts at home, offering participatory exhibits promoting social engagement within one’s community; and World Cultures transports visitors to various global regions and highlights diverse cultures and traditions. Tanzania is the first country profiled in the marketplace in the World Cultures exhibit.

“The National Children’s Museum takes our young visitors from their homes to the world, sharing the importance of global citizenship and personal responsibility in an open-ended, playful environment,” said Whitson. “We are proud to support our mission in the Washington, D.C. area, while serving children and their families from beyond the region.”

Exhibits are complemented by staff-led programming, including hands-on activities such as paper bead making; literature-based arts and crafts; interaction with roamingSesame Street characters and professional actors portraying a chef, mayoral candidates engaged in debates and a reporter who’s dedicated to staying on top ofMy Town events. A theatre that accommodates 130 people adds another dimension to the experience, with participatory productions and entertainment from the museum’s theatre ensemble and guest performers.

NCM, located at 151 St. George Blvd. in National Harbor, Md., is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between September and May, and remains open until 7 p.m. during the summer. Membership package options are available, offering free year-round admission, exclusive benefits and access to special museum events.

To make the museum affordable for all, January scheduled the inaugural GEICO Free Family Night for Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 from 5 to 8 p.m. Future free family nights will be held on the third Friday of each month. A full events calendar and holiday hours are available at www.ncm.museum.