Herald & News - April 5, 2008

Jessica Bocchi, 11, plays with the Children’s Museum’s antigravity mirror during a sneak peek at the museum Thursday. H&N photo by Andrew Mariman

Child’s play New Children’s Museum gives sneak peek to local students By DD BIXBY H&N Staff Writer “It’s amazing,” whispered Shasta Elementary first-grader Mikayla Stevens, as she was pulled away from the “anti-gravity” mirrors at The Children’s Museum Friday. The museum isn’t quite open, but 38 students from Shasta Elementary School’s leadership group got a sneak peek inside the building on East Main Street. First- through sixthgraders talked on interconnected phones in the “Our Town” corner, beatboxed on a recording system in the music room and just generally played. That’s exactly what Christa Crane-Launius, president of the museum’s volunteer board, wants — a place where children can learn and have fun. The scent of fresh paint lingers and some of the tables are covered in plastic, but Crane-Launius said the museum should open to the public in six to eight weeks. $1 million museum The project, which began in 2001, will cost over $1 million when completed, not counting volunteer hours, Crane-Launius said. While no entry price has been set, she said she expected it to be in the $5 range to maintain the museum’s exhibits. She also said the museum would offer volunteer programs and partner with local businesses to ensure that children who couldn’t afford the entry fee could still visit. The ground floor is the most complete and the second floor isn’t far behind. The basement, which will hold sand and bubble tables as well as a birthday room, needs the most work. Crane-Launius said she and volunteers would be making a big push to finish the birthday room, but may not have the sand and bubble exhibits ready for the opening, and will complete them as time and money allow. The finished areas were in use Friday as Mikayla and company tested the exhibits. Fifth-grader Eric Grandstaff said the real airplane fastened to the wall in front of the window was his favorite part of the museum. “I flew it,” he said, excited and ready to get back to playing. Shadow room The “shadow room” was among Mikayla’s favorite exhibits. The blacked-out room has a large white screen on one wall, which children wrote on with colored-light pens. Every 90 seconds, a bright light flashed, leaving shadows of whatever was standing in front of the screen. Mikayla said she jumped up in the air so it looked like she was plastered to the wall. Other kids drew monster faces and horns on their shadows. As the Shasta students left, their chaperone, Leslie Wilkenson, counselor and co-coordinator of the leadership group, checked to make sure there weren’t any stowaways staying behind with their shadows.

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