Town Square at the Children’s Museum of Richmond

By 1elcoley

Published: October 1, 2008

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See highlights of the Children’s Museum of Richmond

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It’s time to develop some young brains at the Children’s Museum of Richmond.

This weekend the museum will unveil its newest exhibit, Town Square. Elements of the new play area will include an auto garage, TV station, grocery store and cafe, hospital with an ambulance, bank, school house, and a new and improved shadow play area.

The museum’s mascot, Seymour the Dinosaur, will also have his own monument to remind visitors they are in Richmond.

The museum closed a third of its indoor exhibit space in September for Town Square. It cost about $500,000 and is the museum’s largest renovation since it opened on Broad Street in 2000, said Karen Coltrane, the museum’s president and CEO. She has held that position for a year and has been with the Children’s Museum of Richmond since 2004.

“The goal is to promote pretend play—it’s a big part of children’s development,“ Coltrane said.  “Research is showing that there’s nothing better to help kids develop intellectually.“

The TV station will have live cameras and monitors that will allow Moms and Dads to watch as children broadcast the news. They can change tires and mufflers and fix engines in the auto shop. The ambulance is life-sized and kids can climb behind the steering wheel and work the CB radio. The all-new grocery store and cafe will allow children to take on the roles they see filled by both customers and workers.

“So many toys are designed to promote programs, and children’s development can become scripted,“ said Irene Carney, executive director at Sabot at Stony Point school.

“Out of their play they develop skills—wiring their brains and laying the groundwork for academic achievement. Places that support imaginative play are becoming more important for kids today.“

The museum had a record-breaking attendance in 2007 at more than 230,000 visitors. Coltrane attributed the increase to the change in target age for the museum. Exhibits designed for older children have been phased out in recent years as the museum refocused to 8-and-under.

Gone is the “Tour de Tummy” and many older play areas have either moved or been upgraded with Town Square. The DinoZone exhibit—originally set to be phased out—has been so popular that the museum had to keep it.

“If we had removed the dinosaurs, the little people wouldn’t have been very happy,“ Coltrane said.

Other mainstays include the Backyard, James River water play, art studio, Little CMoR and the playhouse.

Contact Phil Riggan at (804) 649-6037 or .