Local News

Children’s Museum

Students enjoyed interactive exhibits

BEVERLY -- The Interact Children's Museum made the final stop on its elementary schools tour of Randolph County with an appearance at Beverly Elementary School Wednesday.

The ICM has traveled around the county this past year and filled school gymnasiums with interactive exhibits that included attractions such as a Rigamajig, Jumbo Legos, Ramps and Rails, and much more.

"Beverly was our last stop at the schools after doing one or two stops a month for the last year," Lisa Martin, ICM Board president, told The Inter-Mountain. "The kids have really loved all the interactive exhibits that we have. You can just see their faces light up when they come into the gym and see everything that we have.

"The Rigamajig has gears, pulleys and many other pieces of equipment. It's a pretty big installation and the kids can use the pieces to make a car, a house, or anything they want. The kids have a lot of fun with it."

Unlike traditional museums, children's museums focus on interactive exhibits and learning through creativity and experimentation. Children are encouraged to touch installations, use their imaginations, and explore their surroundings.

The guiding principle behind children's museums is the idea that play is learning. By providing safe spaces in which to engage, people have the opportunity to build skills that foster creative thinking and innovation.

Currently all of the exhibits the ICM offers are mobile and taken from location to location. The organization, however, has been searching for a permanent home for its museum.

"We haven't settled on anything yet," Martin said. "We've looked around and because we fall under the same guidelines that schools and day care centers do, we have to find a place that meets those requirements. So that's made it a little more challenging.

"Ideally we would like to find a place downtown in a historical building, but that also presents a challenge as well, because of renovations that would need to be done. But we are very serious about finding a permanent location and we are open to renting or purchasing."

The ICM has much planned for the summer and will be breaking out some of its new outdoor exhibits, which include Nature Interaction, Artistic Expression, Tactile Play, Movement Creation and Sound Exploration. Each exhibit features numerous fun components that invite children to have a hands-on adventure.

"This summer is going to be amazing and we have so many new outdoor exhibits to share with everyone," Martin said. "If you like art, music, nature, movement and getting your hands dirty, we've got great stuff for you."

Some events already planned for this summer include stops at Coalton Days on June 24, Camp Pioneer with the Beverly Bookmobile on June 26, National Kids' Day at the Elkins City Park on Aug 5, and the Back to School Event at the Homestead Community Center on Aug. 12. Other plans are in the works for the summer months, and details will be released at a later date.

Local businesses sponsoring ICM's Summer Event Series include: The Atrium at Seneca Mall; 7 Performance; Mountain Gymnastics Academy; Carte-Hall CPA's; Family Dental Practice; Huntington Bank; Davis Trust Company; Mountain Valley Bank; Citizens Bank of WV; Elkins Sewing Center; and Perfection Plus.

The Randolph County Commission provided ICM with support for its summer events, while the Snowshoe Foundation and Oakland Foundation awarded the organization with grants. The Coalton Days Association, Family Resource Network, and Homestead Community Center Association have partnered with ICM for the Summer Event Series.

The ICM is also currently looking for volunteers to help the organization. A volunteer training session for anyone interested is scheduled for June 25.

For more information, go to the organization Facebook page, or its website at www.interactchildrensmuseum.org. Information can also be obtained via email at interactmuseum@gmail.com, or by calling 304-249-4986.