Children's Museum of Maine
Encyclopedia
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is located in the Arts District of downtown Portland
, Maine
and features a wide variety of interactive exhibits and activities for children and families. Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine exists to inspire discovery and imagination through exploration and play. The Museum & Theatre serves as an indispensable resource for families and educators, helping to create a broad community devoted to our children's development and learning.
. In 1980 the Museum moved to a Victorian home on Stevens Avenue in Portland
. After more than a decade of successful exhibits and programs, the Museum once again needed a new space to accommodate growing interest. In 1991 a capital campaign was launched, and two years later the Museum opened to the public in a grand new home, the former Chamber of Commerce
building on Free Street in downtown Portland
. The 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) building has since been home to dozens of large-scale interactive exhibits, both permanent and rotating. In 2001, after careful assessment of community needs, the Museum chose to direct programming and exhibits toward children 6 months to 10 years of age, and selected three areas of focus: science education, early childhood education and multicultural education. In 2002, the Museum was ranked the #14 children’s museum in the country by Child (magazine)
.
and Gary Merrill
took the Children’s Theatre under their wing; Davis arranged to premiere her film The Virgin Queen in Portland as a benefit for the cause. Throughout the latter half of the century, the Children’s Theatre experimented with many locations, models, and creative strategies.
in the Dress-Up Theatre followed by The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet. After many months of developing a new brand, the new kitetails logo was revealed in April 2009 at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine Annual Auction. The Museum & Theatre saw many changes over the next few months. The DinoTracks exhibit opened in May 2009 in the main gallery, the fifth in a series of science exhibits the Museum & Theatre had been creating since 2006 with the Environmental Exhibits Collaborative (EEC). Shortly afterwards, the rainy month of July 2009 crippled many businesses in Portland
but the Museum & Theatre thrived and welcomed over 14,000 visitors. The record number of visitors had a chance to explore the Have a Ball! exhibit, which was given a permanent home in the front gallery. In the drier month of September, Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine held its 4th Annual Golf Tournament at Nonesuch River Golf Course
and the Kids on the Block educational puppet program started rehearsals and performances in the Dress-Up Theatre. The 2009-2010 theatre season began with Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like and included The Polar Express
at Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, The Emperor's New Clothes
, Cinderella
and The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings. Today, The Youth Ranger program continues to employ high school students as environmental educators and outreach programs bring the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine experience to nearly 2,000 children and caregivers each year.
Onsite and Outreach Programs include:
Awards and recognition received include:
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and features a wide variety of interactive exhibits and activities for children and families. Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine exists to inspire discovery and imagination through exploration and play. The Museum & Theatre serves as an indispensable resource for families and educators, helping to create a broad community devoted to our children's development and learning.
Children’s Museum of Maine
The Children’s Museum of Maine was founded by the Junior League of Portland in 1976, opening in just a few rooms in Fort Williams park in Cape Elizabeth, MaineCape Elizabeth, Maine
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
. In 1980 the Museum moved to a Victorian home on Stevens Avenue in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. After more than a decade of successful exhibits and programs, the Museum once again needed a new space to accommodate growing interest. In 1991 a capital campaign was launched, and two years later the Museum opened to the public in a grand new home, the former Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
building on Free Street in downtown Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. The 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) building has since been home to dozens of large-scale interactive exhibits, both permanent and rotating. In 2001, after careful assessment of community needs, the Museum chose to direct programming and exhibits toward children 6 months to 10 years of age, and selected three areas of focus: science education, early childhood education and multicultural education. In 2002, the Museum was ranked the #14 children’s museum in the country by Child (magazine)
Child (magazine)
Child is a discontinued American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published through 2007. It was originally backed by Italian publishers, then sold to The New York Times Magazine Group which published it until 1995 along with its other women’s magazines,...
.
Children’s Theatre of Maine
The rich history of the Children’s Theatre of Maine dates back to 1923, when the Junior League of Portland began producing small shows for young audiences under the name Children’s Theatre of Portland (adopting the name Children’s Theatre of Maine in 1974). In the 1930s, the shows began to incorporate children as performers, and the tradition of shows for and by kids was born. The Children’s Theatre rehearsed and performed in donated locations all over Greater Portland, and in the summer of 1944 debuted their Trailer Theatre, a traveling fold-out stage that brought outdoor shows to parks and playgrounds throughout the city. In the 1950s, actors Bette DavisBette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
and Gary Merrill
Gary Merrill
Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television character actor whose credits included more than fifty feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances....
took the Children’s Theatre under their wing; Davis arranged to premiere her film The Virgin Queen in Portland as a benefit for the cause. Throughout the latter half of the century, the Children’s Theatre experimented with many locations, models, and creative strategies.
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine celebrated the merger in 2008 by producing The Twelve Dancing PrincessesThe Twelve Dancing Princesses
"The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is a German fairy tale originally published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 in Kinder- und Hausmärchen as tale number 133...
in the Dress-Up Theatre followed by The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet. After many months of developing a new brand, the new kitetails logo was revealed in April 2009 at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine Annual Auction. The Museum & Theatre saw many changes over the next few months. The DinoTracks exhibit opened in May 2009 in the main gallery, the fifth in a series of science exhibits the Museum & Theatre had been creating since 2006 with the Environmental Exhibits Collaborative (EEC). Shortly afterwards, the rainy month of July 2009 crippled many businesses in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
but the Museum & Theatre thrived and welcomed over 14,000 visitors. The record number of visitors had a chance to explore the Have a Ball! exhibit, which was given a permanent home in the front gallery. In the drier month of September, Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine held its 4th Annual Golf Tournament at Nonesuch River Golf Course
Nonesuch River Golf Course
Nonesuch River Golf Course is an 18-hole golf course located near the Nonesuch River in Scarborough, Maine, USA. Designed primarily by Tom Walker of the United States Golf Association, Nonesuch was opened to the public in 1997.- External links :*...
and the Kids on the Block educational puppet program started rehearsals and performances in the Dress-Up Theatre. The 2009-2010 theatre season began with Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like and included The Polar Express
The Polar Express
The Polar Express is a 1985 children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004....
at Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, The Emperor's New Clothes
The Emperor's New Clothes
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
, Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
and The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings. Today, The Youth Ranger program continues to employ high school students as environmental educators and outreach programs bring the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine experience to nearly 2,000 children and caregivers each year.
Lower Level
- Coco’s Diner: Coco's is a diner replica where children prepare pretend sodas, shakes and assorted foods.
- Dress-Up Theatre: The Dress-Up Theatre stage and puppet theatre are complete with puppets, imaginative costumes for young actors, sound and light booth for the young technician and story board for the young director.
First Floor: Our Town
- Have a Ball!: This exhibit offers opportunities to explore the science of motion. Children construct ramps that make balls speed up, slow down, and leap from track to track; experiment with momentum, friction and energy on roller coaster ramps and explore the movement of accelerating balls.
- Toddler Park: Toddler Park is a play area reserved for children under three. The environment features tactile toys and soft places to climb and explore.
- Fire Truck: Inside the Fire Truck, children can try on firefighter gear, climb into the driver’s seat and slide down the brass fire station pole. The Fire Truck also has a fire safety station where children can learn concepts such as knowing two ways out of your house; stop, drop and roll; and staying low in smoke.
- Car Repair Shop: Children can repair a car or fill up a gas tank using tools tethered to the engine block. Afterwards, they can pay for all the repairs at the cash register.
- Lobster Boat: The Lobster Boat focuses on Maine’s working waterfronts and the state’s fishing heritage. Children can put on fishing gear, haul in traps and send their day’s catches to the Market
- Market: The shelves at the market are lined with nutritious necessities. Children can shop for groceries and then work the register themselves or meet a new friend who's waiting there to ring up the goodies.
- ATM: Children can learn about exchanging money for goods or services by using special Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine Funny Money to buy groceries at the Market, pay for gas at the Car Repair Shop and buy lunch at Coco's Diner.
- Oakie Acres: Children can pretend to be farmers and learn about the dairy industry as they milk the replica life-size cow, ride the tractor and pump water from the well.
- Animal Hospital: This exhibit teaches how to care for creatures great and small. Children can pick a favorite stuffed animal and perform an exam.
- Our Town Post Office: Children can dress up as the Our Town mail carrier and deliver post cards to each Our Town building.
- Shipyard: The Shipyard is the seasonal outdoor space, open April to November (weather permitting). Children can explore far away lands, play one of the whimsical instruments in the music garden, or eat lunch at the picnic tables.
- Sea Pirate: A 40 feet (12.2 m) pirate ship in the Shipyard comes complete with sails, a crow’s nest, a navigational chart and a fishing net.
Second Floor: Explore Floor
- LL Bear’s Discovery Woods: This exhibit includes a kid-sized rock wall, floating boats on Cascade Stream, camping backpacks with the day's provisions and a place to set up camp.
- Ranger Station: Children can pretend to be forest rangers as they identify plants and animals native to Maine or put on an animal puppet show using the PuppetTree. In the spring and summer, the Ranger Station hosts an observation beehive.
- Book Nook: Families can explore and read together in this space on the Explore Floor. The Nook is filled with books in English, Braille, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Persian and Somali.
- Tree to Timber: Tree to Timber explores the process of sustainable forestry. There's an interactive video game and real Eastern White Pine tree trunks. Children can crank a conveyor belt to draw wood through the sawmill. In the Treehouse children can use finished pieces of pine to build log homes.
- Space Shuttle: The space shuttle replica comes complete with astronaut uniforms and a life-size cock pit equipped with all the switches. Children choose the flight plan - blast-off, orbit or re-entry. A mini-planetarium is also located inside the shuttle.
- Tidepool Touch Tank: This tank is filled with inhabitants collected from Casco Bay. Several times a day, the cover of this tank habitat is lifted so visitors can feel the varied textures of these marine creatures and learn about their adaptations.
- We Are Maine: Twenty Maine kids with roots in countries around the world show some of the traditions they share with their families. Children can try out games, foods and traditions from around the globe and use the "Share Your Story" kiosk to share family rituals.
- Explore Some More Room: Children and families can participate in daily craft activities led by staff and volunteers in this room equipped with art supplies, fully functioning sink and lots of ideas for fun projects.
Third Floor
- Camera Obscura: Learn how eyes see light, the origins of photography and more in a guided tour of Camera ObscuraCamera obscuraThe camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
. This first-hand demonstration will teach visitors of all ages about optics and light while they get a panoramic view of Portland from a room with no windows. Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine hosts one of fewer than 20 Camera ObscuraCamera obscuraThe camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
in the United States. Guided Tours held at least twice daily, weather permitting.
Onsite & Outreach Programs
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine serves as resource for educators, offering a selection of onsite educator-led school programs. All programs satisfy several Maine Learning Results standards and can be adapted to suit the needs of students. Self-Guided Visits allow students to explore the Museum & Theatre at their own pace. Guided Programs teach students about science with hands-on, artifact-rich learning experiences. Outreach programs, including large-space programs, individualized classroom workshops and classroom kits bring the Museum & Theatre’s resources and expertise directly to schools, camps and community centers.Onsite and Outreach Programs include:
- Animal Signs
- Be a Tree
- Birds in Flight
- Celebrate Asia
- The Story of Istar
- Kids in Japan
- Layers of the Forest
- Marine Mammals of Maine
- Rock Riddles
- Simple Machines
- Teeth & Skulls
Birthday Parties
The Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is available as a venue for children’s parties. The Museum & Theatre offers use of a designated Birthday Room and admission for party guests to explore exhibits. Parties can be held during regular business hours or after-hours Monday through Saturday and before-hours on Sunday for an additional fee. The Museum & Theatre facilities can be rented for adult or all-ages parties as well; the building has been the site of cocktail parties, rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions.Awards and recognition
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine has been recognized for its contributions to education on local and national levels. Receiving numerous grants and awards has allowed the Museum & Theatre to expand their outreach efforts aimed towards lower-income families. Some of these efforts include: scholarship memberships for families with demonstrated need; free outreach and educational programming for rural and urban schools; and free or reduced admission opportunities including $1 Fridays the first Friday night of every month.Awards and recognition received include:
- Winner of the NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Parents' Pick Award for the Best Museum for little kids and big kids (2008) and the Best Museum in PortlandPortland, MainePortland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
(2009) - We Are Maine, a global learning center featuring stories from diverse families who call Maine home, is supported by a $92,500 Museums for America grant award from the Institute of Museum & Library Sciences (May 2005)
- Active member of Environmental Exhibits Collaborative (EEC), a team developing traveling exhibits with natural science themes relevant to New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, funded with $840,000 grant from Jane’s Trust (Dec 2004–present) - Received $92,500 Museums for America grant award from the Institute of Museum & Library Services to produce a multicultural exhibit (Sept 2004)
- The only New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
host site of Japan & Nature: Spirits of the Seasons, a world-class multicultural exhibit funded by the prestigious Freeman Foundation (July-Sept 2004) - Ranked #14 on the Child (magazine)Child (magazine)Child is a discontinued American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published through 2007. It was originally backed by Italian publishers, then sold to The New York Times Magazine Group which published it until 1995 along with its other women’s magazines,...
list of top children’s museums in the country (2002) - Selected by Eastman KodakEastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
as a host site for an ongoing Camera ObscuraCamera obscuraThe camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
exhibit, one of fewer than 20 in the United States (1994)
In the news
- Matuszewski, Kara. “Children’s Museums Work To Stay Germ-Free” WCSHWCSHWCSH is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire. Licensed to Portland, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter on Winn Mountain in Sebago. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Time Warner Cable channel 6...
. 6 Nov 2009. - Cameron-McCarron, Shelley. “At Maine museum, playtime is the rule” Boston Globe. 27 Sept 2009.
- Carkhuff, David. “Children’s haven thrived during soggy summer” Portland Daily SunPortland Daily SunThe Portland Daily Sun publish daily newspapers Tuesday through Saturday in Portland, Maine. The Portland Daily Sun is a free daily newspaper distributed to retail and business locations throughout the city. The first edition was printed on February 3, 2009. Circulation, which started at 3,000...
. 16 Sept 2009. - Wickenheiser, Matt. “Portland’s new place to play” Portland Press HeraldPortland Press HeraldThe Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
. 27 Aug 2009. - Bafile, Cara. "Children's Museums 'Exhibit' Educational Outreach" Education World. 1 Dec 2009.
- Grumbling, Megan. "Seeing is Believing: The Emperor visit the Children's Theatre" The PhoenixThe Phoenix (newspaper)The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
3 March 2010. - Kim, Ann. "Caring for Community" Portland Press HeraldPortland Press HeraldThe Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
. 21 May 2010.