Sacramento, CA --- Children have a new place to play and explore since the Sacramento Children's Museum (SCM) opened in August 2011. Located in Rancho Cordova, a Sacramento suburb, SCM's 7,000-square foot space includes a main exhibit area that showcases permanent and temporary exhibits, a special area for babies and toddlers, a creative art studio, a party room and a resource center.

"This announcement symbolizes the beginning of a new and exciting asset for the community," said Alan Godlove, President of the SCM Board of Directors. Godlove went on to say that SCM is "a place where imaginations can roam, confidence can grow, and families can experience the power of play in a safe and welcoming environment."

SCM features various exhibit areas to encourage children's imaginations and prompt them to test, tinker, laugh, and wonder. Special shows, programs, and speakers will complement the exhibits. Although the Museum will appeal to visitors of all ages, it is designed primarily for children from birth to age eight and their families.

Museum components include:

  • Waterways promote wet activities such as building boats, creating whirlpools, and experimenting with water flow.
  • My Neighborhood has a produce stand so that children can learn the value of local produce and healthy eating. There's also a small house where children can "cook" and play dress up. This exhibit will rotate throughout the year (a mercado with Latin American food, a Russian market with Russian products, etc.) so that we can serve as a platform for cultural awareness of the incredible diversity of the Sacramento region.
  • World Market will help build cultural awareness and celebrate families and traditions as it relates to each individual family and child.
  • Raceways demonstrate the basic principles of objects in motion, such as why people don't fall out of a rollercoaster when riding upside down.
  • Airways include balls and scarves that swoosh through over 100 feet of large, clear tubing as children discover how objects move through the multiple pathways.
  • Studio of the Arts provides opportunities for self-expression and creativity, using a variety of materials.
  • Baby Bloomers offers safe exploration activities designed specifically for babies and toddlers.
  • Resource Center is a source of parenting and child development information for parents, childcare providers, and other caregivers.
  • Party Room is an area that can be rented for birthday and holiday celebrations.

The idea for a children's museum in Sacramento began with Kathleen Palley, a local mother and teacher, who saw a need for inspiring learning through interactivity. She started SCM, a non-profit corporation, and soon received support from local businesses, educators, librarians, professionals, children's advocates, and other family oriented organizations throughout the region. The Junior League of Sacramento, the City of Rancho Cordova and Roebbelen Construction are the three Founding Partners of the Children's Museum.

"A children's museum is about the future. When a community makes the commitment to create a children's museum, they are opening their hands to hold and care for their future. Those future leaders, artists, dreamers, scientists, farmers, parents, and explorers who are today's children," said Palley, SCM Founder.

Carl Sagan, the famed American astronomer and strong proponent of the children's museum movement, once said: "These exhibits do not replace instruction in school or at home, but they awaken and excite. A great science museum inspires a child to read a book, or take a course, or return to the museum again to engage in a process of discovery-and, most important, to learn the method of scientific discovery." (The Demon Haunted World-Science as a Candle in the Dark, 1996)

More information at www.sackids.org.