EXHIBITS FACT SHEET
The new home of MY Museum is located at Washington Street in downtown Monterey. This 8,000 square foot building, complete with its own bathrooms, will allow MY Museum to better service our community and visitors. It is centrally located in downtown Monterey, near other family friendly activities such as the Monterey City Sports Center, Dennis the Menace Park and much more. In addition to more exhibit space, the new Museum will have two rooms for parties and programs. Such space will be made available to other non-profits and businesses as community meeting space, and for educational opportunities. The initial opening will involve approximately 6,000 square feet, leaving about one-fourth (¼) of the Museum available for temporary visiting exhibits and future expansion. (Plans for more exhibits in this area are already under way!) As you can imagine, the hardest part has not been coming up with exhibit ideas, but narrowing down the ideas to just a few. Honoring the fact that we all learn differently, focus was placed on the seven styles of learning. Our goal is to create a place where every child and adult will be able to learn and experience the Museum in his/her own way. Our Museum also recognizes and values that learning occurs at many levels, from learning new facts, to creatively problem solving, to expanding language skills through inter-personal play with adults and other visiting children or classmates. In this busy world of measured achievement, every visitor is successful at MY Museum, even if that simply means having fun. There are no wrong answers at MY Museum. No limits to self-expression. In fact, the word “no” is rarely heard. The visitor experience begins prior to paying for admission. An interactive donor mural greets thevisitors as they park their strollers in the stroller parking “street” complete with parking meters.Before entering the exhibit area, children can visit “I spy lighthouse” and using remote cameras, visit select areas of the museum. A communication system with the rest of the Museum is a planned enhancement. A “hidden picture” mural sets the stage for the visitor’s experience – the discovering mind is ready to engage. Our goal is to ensure that all visitors have a memorable visit, whether this is their first visit, or their fiftieth.
MY Day At The Beach:
This special area is intended for our younger visitors ages 3 and under.
The focus is on encouraging exploration of the world around them
learning language skills, strengthening gross motor capabilities, and
interacting with others. There will be a, cozy corner where children and
adults can read together or share some quiet time. Other activities
include serving a meal in the Tiki Hut Restaurant, taking an adventure
on a boat that rocks, and creating sandcastles with our “sand” blocks!
MY Go-Fore Golf: At MY Go-Fore Golf Exhibit, the focus
is on strengthening the hand-eye coordination skills needed to play
golf. On three fairways, the visitor can practice his or her swing. But
watch out for those obstacles, a gopher may attack your ball! Golfers
have opportunities for cooperative play and gross motor skill
development while trying to improve their handicap. And for the
adventuresome, gopher tunnels under the fairway allow for some
underground exploration.
MY Healthy Farm: Whether picking crops from the fields,
processing produce through the giant maze machine, delivering goods to
the farmer’s market, or riding the tractor, there is a lot to do on the
Farm. There’s also a fun grape stomping game. In this gallery, visitors
will learn about nutrition and making healthy food choices in an area
designed to help educate about childhood obesity and encourage active
lifestyles.
MY Theater: In this exhibit, families and school groups
have everything they need to put on a great performance. There will be a
main stage complete with backdrops, costumes, props, musical
instruments, lights, sound effects, dressing room, and a camera. Guests
can watch from their theater seats or see it on TV.
MY ImagiTree: MY Museum’s signature exhibit is the
ImagiTree, standing tall in the center of the Museum. This towering tree
will be home to many activities inside, outside and up in the branches.
Visitors will learn about creatures that live in and around trees and
their connection to their local habitat. You can also count the rings of
the tree and mark historical events—including one’s birthday! A puppet
theater allows visitors to bring the creatures living in the tree to
life.
MY Hospital: Upon entering the emergency room, visitors
are greeted by professionals that help every patient get well. Learning
about the different jobs in the hospital and how they all work to make
patients healthy and strong is the focus here. Whether it’s helping the
nurse administer a shot, assisting the x-ray tech in the lab, or leading
the patient though a series of exercises learned from the physical
therapist, visitors engage in role-playing activities that foster an
awareness of the body and its functions. And did we mention the life
size Operation Game? Who’s ready to operate!
MY Creation Station: An extension of one of our most
popular current exhibits. Visitors will be given the tools they need to
make their own masterpiece using a variety of recyclable and
non-recyclable materials. Everyone is a master artisan at MY Museum.
Plus lots more activities await you at MY Museum.
Old favorites: Build a House – Children learn about "building a house" in this open sided kid-sized house. They can fill in the walls with brick (foam) and fabric squares or install plumbing under the sink. A favorite activity is ringing the working doorbell and playing with the lights. Childfriendly tools, and hard hats enhance the learning activities. This exhibit lets youngsters play with all of those "off limits" things at home. Magnetic Connections – Experience the force of magnets – north and south pole magnets attached to the table create a magnetic force in common items, such as nuts and bolts. See how they are attracted to each other or repel each other based upon such scientific properties. Creativity and science all in one place. A favorite of all, especially the Dads.
Fire Truck – You are the firefighter, as you drive the truck; drag the hose and learn about fire safety, all while dressed as a firefighter.
Magic Finger Painting – A computer exhibit especially designed for our younger visitors. Magically finger paint without the mess. Color exploration, patterning, and language skills, are some of the growth that occurs at this station, all through touching the computer screen. (Not to be tried at home.)
AND MUCH MUCH MORE! COME PLAY – COME DISCOVER – COME LEARN
All exhibit areas still have sponsorship areas available! Just ask how you can help make MY Museum the best place for our youth! They are our future. |
