Discovery Kids Zone

ddkarea.jpgPOWER UP at Discovery Kids

Inspire Early Childhood Learning!

Discovery Kids Zone is an interactive play area built just for kids 4 and under! It is designed to spark creativity and provide novel methods of interaction between caregivers and children. For 15 years we have provided innovative, experiential, and unique learning opportunities for children and families as well as a small, quiet space for bonding and interaction!

Let your creative energy explode in the Discovery Kids Zone. Play at our art table and giant see-through easel, or examine and develop patterns at the light table with colored shapes and sand! Use your imagination to construct a castle out of our large foam blocks, manipulate textured rubber balls, our puppet population, mirrors, and perhaps you’d like to use our oversized abacus to count? Come and see how much fun science, art, and mathematics can be--all in the Discovery Kids toddler zone.

Discovery Kids also features:

  • Science labs centering on concepts like magnification, magnets, garden specimens, ecology, and the sense of touch will be set out, ready for scientists of all ages to experiment with and explore.
  • A nest-building exhibit that encourages kids to use their strength and creativity to construct, organize, and build nests out of large Styrofoam tubes.
  • A rainstorm simulation: Our rain room sounds and feels just like standing in a cool spring rain--without getting wet!

Also, be sure to check out our beautiful fish tank, which is now located in the new office building next to the museum. Three Western Painted turtles will happily greet you, as well as myriad guppies, snails, and crabs.

Food for thought for your visit:

  • Follow your child’s lead
    Children often surprise us with their interests. Observe your child. What types of activities does your child enjoy most? What activities keep your child’s attention the longest? These observations help you to understand and appreciate your child more.
  • "Read it again, Mom!" -- Repetition, repetition, repetition
    Young children can also exasperate us with their singular fascinations, but those are an important part of child development as children learn through repetition. Remember when you were little and you wanted to have your parents read the same story to you over and over again? Remember how much you enjoyed its familiarity and maybe saw something new each time? Well, now it’s your child’s turn to have the same fun.
  • Bored?
    If you find yourself bored, try challenging yourself to do the activity a different way, or from a different starting point, or just enjoy how much your child is enjoying it. Don’t be embarrassed--everyone is here to have a good time.
  • "Parenting in Public"
    Children don’t always behave as we’d like them to. We’ve all experienced this, and we understand. Check out our "parenting in public" tips HERE for advice on some specific situations and don’t sweat it too much.
  • Cell free zone
    Consider turning off your cell phone: Your child needs your undivided attention, and you need a break from multi-tasking. Making time for play is important to grown-ups, too. So roll up your sleeves, dig in, get messy, explore, and play. But most of all, have fun!
  • Food
    Young children get hungry often. While we don't allow eating in the museum (due to uninvited "guests" that can damage our exhibits and collections), we do provide beautiful picnic tables outside by the river where you can snack.
  • Clothes
    Bring an extra change of clothes. Learning can be messy and wet sometimes!
  • Staff
     If you are in need of assistance or have any questions, please look for an aproned staff person. There is a specific system in place for lost children. Notify a staff person as soon as possible.

*Tips adopted from the Boston Children's Museum