Minnesota Ag Connection - New Lake Life Exhibit at Children's Discovery Museum

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New Lake Life Exhibit at Children's Discovery Museum
Minnesota Ag Connection - 07/18/2017

Doors had hardly opened for the day when energized children began flooding in with smiling parents and grandparents in tow.

"It's going to be a busy day," said John Kelsch, Children's Discovery Center director.

As the only children's museum north of Duluth, the 17,500 square-foot facility has over the past few months been full of life.

That's partly because the museum in April opened a new exhibit -- Lake Life.

Supported by an Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board Culture & Tourism grant and Minnesota Legacy funding, Lake Life teaches children about water quality, invasive species, and a variety of outdoor topics.

Within the interactive exhibit are a fishing dock, maple syrup operation, a cabin, log crawl, bog walk, climbing wall, bicycle-propelled wind turbine, deer stand, bird on an overhead track, and a stage.

A water tank and secchi disk, allowing children to learn about water transparency and turbidity, are being added this summer.

"We thought how great it would be at an early age for kids to learn about these things," said Kelsch. "And we felt the exhibit should relate to our area because we have 1,000 lakes here (Itasca County). It's something you couldn't really do at other children's museums."

Since opening the exhibit in April, more than 2,000 early childhood, kindergarten, and grades first through third schoolchildren from across northeastern Minnesota have learned about water clarity, zebra mussels, and the natural environment.

"Knowing that many people come up here and stay at their cabins, we thought an 'up north' theme would be good," said Vickie Rassmussen-Wilcox, a member of the museum's board of directors. "And we're seeing more and more fathers bring their children here, which is nice to see."

All schoolchildren and teachers who attend as a group during the school year are admitted free thanks to Minnesota Legacy funding.

Since 2000, the museum has hosted 222 different schools from 87 communities.

"We have a lower income population up here, and a lot of those kids don't get to go to Minneapolis and enjoy the wonderful enrichment programs they have at (children's museum) down there," said Kelsch.

Beginning in September, a curriculum that goes deeper into water quality and other subjects will be offered to school groups.

"A lot of the same schools come back year after year," said Kelsch. "But with the new curriculum, I'm sure we will see some schools that haven't been here for five or six years."

Besides 15,000 square-feet of varied children's activities, the facility also includes the Judy Garland Museum, featuring hundreds of "Wizard of Oz," artifacts and a carriage used in the classic film once owned by President Abraham Lincoln.

"Many people perceive us as a Judy Garland museum, but we're much more than that," said Kelsch. "We have two separate museums, two newsletters and two websites."

The museum is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Sunday through Sept. 30.

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