Portland Children's Museum
Encyclopedia
Portland Children's Museum is a children's museum
located in Portland
's Washington Park, adjacent to the Oregon Zoo
. Founded in 1946, Portland Children's Museum is the sixth oldest children's museum in the world and the oldest West of the Mississippi. The 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) museum receives over a quarter of a million visits from children and their families every year. It is a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status and member of the Association of Children's Museums
.
, Dorothea Lensch. Dr. Lensch was the first woman appointed Recreation Director for the division.
The original museum building was located at the Jacob Kamm
mansion in Southwest Portland until 1950 when it moved to a building (formerly a dormitory) on Lair Hill just south of downtown Portland. The Lair Hill Museum contained a pet library (from which children could check-out animals) as well as a variety of interactive and informative exhibits. The Lair Hill museum hosted regular arts and crafts workshops as well as sports games and other activities.
After 51 years of occupancy at the downtown location, the building was closed on March 31, 2001, and Portland Children's Museum moved to its current location in Washington Park, in the building which previously housed Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Since moving to Washington Park, Portland Children's Museum has welcomed almost two million visitors.
Portland Children's Museum provides access to the Museum and Museum programs for children and families with economic, social or physical challenges through the Community Partners Program. Qualifying children, families, schools and other groups have access to low-cost Museum memberships and family passes, free or subsidized arts workshops, and a myriad of other resources. The Museum also hosts a number of admission-free days and evenings. As of 2009, the Community Partners Program provided access to the Museum and Museum programs for over 20,000 children and their families.
Opal Public Charter School of the Portland Children’s Museum is an elementary school that is chartered by the Portland Public School District. Opal’s teaching and learning approaches are influenced and inspired by the philosophies and practices of the Reggio Emilia approach
.
Since 2008, the Center for Children's Learning observes, documents, and researches children's learning to make visible the way children imagine, design, invent, and create using tools of the arts and sciences.
The work of the center is inspired by questions and provocations such as:
In addition to generating publications and other media based on their research, the center hosts a series of professional development workshops, including a widely attended summer symposium, for educators interested in learning more about Reggio Emilia and the methods of Opal School.
While the museum has a full time staff, it depends on volunteers at every level of the organization. Over 715 community members of all ages volunteer annually, contributing their time to support everything from arts programs to the annual fundraiser.
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
located in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
's Washington Park, adjacent to the Oregon Zoo
Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo, formerly the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo in Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located southwest of Downtown Portland, the zoo is inside Portland's Washington Park, and includes a narrow-gauge railway that connects to the International Rose Test Garden inside...
. Founded in 1946, Portland Children's Museum is the sixth oldest children's museum in the world and the oldest West of the Mississippi. The 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) museum receives over a quarter of a million visits from children and their families every year. It is a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status and member of the Association of Children's Museums
Association of Children's Museums
The Association of Children's Museums is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Museums and grew out of the desire for children's museums to meet...
.
History
Portland Children's Museum was founded in 1946 as the Adventure House by recreation director of Portland Parks & RecreationPortland Parks & Recreation
Portland Parks & Recreation is the bureau of the City of Portland which protects the parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails of the city of Portland, Oregon....
, Dorothea Lensch. Dr. Lensch was the first woman appointed Recreation Director for the division.
The original museum building was located at the Jacob Kamm
Jacob Kamm
Jacob Kamm was a prominent early transportation businessman in Oregon.-Early life:Kamm was born on December 12, 1823 in Canton of Glarus, Switzerland. His family immigrated to America when he was 8 to Illinois, St. Louis, then New Orleans. He worked as a Printer's devil beginning at age 12...
mansion in Southwest Portland until 1950 when it moved to a building (formerly a dormitory) on Lair Hill just south of downtown Portland. The Lair Hill Museum contained a pet library (from which children could check-out animals) as well as a variety of interactive and informative exhibits. The Lair Hill museum hosted regular arts and crafts workshops as well as sports games and other activities.
After 51 years of occupancy at the downtown location, the building was closed on March 31, 2001, and Portland Children's Museum moved to its current location in Washington Park, in the building which previously housed Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Since moving to Washington Park, Portland Children's Museum has welcomed almost two million visitors.
Present
The mission of Portland Children's Museum is to inspire imagination, creativity and the wonder of learning in children and adults by inviting moments of shared discovery. The museum uses cognitive science and child development research to inform environments and programs that promote healthy cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. Myriad exhibits, including Water Works, The Dorothea Lensch Play-it-Again Theatre, Building Bridgetown and the Baby's Garden,along with the Museum's art studios, The Clay Studio, The Wonder Corner and The Garage encourage playful inquiry, cultivate creative expression and help children learn how to learn.Portland Children's Museum provides access to the Museum and Museum programs for children and families with economic, social or physical challenges through the Community Partners Program. Qualifying children, families, schools and other groups have access to low-cost Museum memberships and family passes, free or subsidized arts workshops, and a myriad of other resources. The Museum also hosts a number of admission-free days and evenings. As of 2009, the Community Partners Program provided access to the Museum and Museum programs for over 20,000 children and their families.
Opal Public Charter School of the Portland Children’s Museum is an elementary school that is chartered by the Portland Public School District. Opal’s teaching and learning approaches are influenced and inspired by the philosophies and practices of the Reggio Emilia approach
Reggio Emilia approach
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was started by Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy after World War II. The destruction from the war, parents believed, necessitated a new, quick approach...
.
Since 2008, the Center for Children's Learning observes, documents, and researches children's learning to make visible the way children imagine, design, invent, and create using tools of the arts and sciences.
The work of the center is inspired by questions and provocations such as:
- What provokes curiosity in a child?
- How does playful inquiry support children to wonder, imagine and create?
- How do we strengthen the connection between literacy and the arts?
- How can environments provoke and support the creative capacity of children?
In addition to generating publications and other media based on their research, the center hosts a series of professional development workshops, including a widely attended summer symposium, for educators interested in learning more about Reggio Emilia and the methods of Opal School.
Support
Portland Children's Museum is supported through member contributions, sponsorships, foundation grants, federal grants, and the support of generous individuals. Be a Kid Again, the Museum's annual Spring fundraiser brings together museum supporters and local eateries, brewers, and wineries for an exclusive adults-only evening at the museum.While the museum has a full time staff, it depends on volunteers at every level of the organization. Over 715 community members of all ages volunteer annually, contributing their time to support everything from arts programs to the annual fundraiser.