For the first time in the history of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, there is (or at least there was before the global pandemic hit in March) a substantial number of teenagers hanging out at the Museum. However, these teens do not come as guests. They are a part of the Teen Volunteer Playworker

Today, most Americans are three generations removed from the farm. While we produce most of our food on farms of one type or another, many consumers lack farm experience. Without that, they will also lack the understanding of how this happens. If you ask them, most children will say that their food comes from a

Math is the relationship between things.  The final post of this series on STEAM might very well instigate some feelings of stress among some of its readers. For many individuals, both children and adults, math is a frightening and incomprehensible idea. Indeed, typical math education in the school system has historically done a poor job

Art is the form that is taken by Technology.  There are many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math educators who bristle at the idea of including Art as part of the learning process. For many of us, different school subjects equated to different teachers, locations, times, learning objectives, and even a sense of priority. However, we

Engineering is the act of creating Technology.  Engineering is yet another field for which it seems that children today have little understanding. A study conducted by the Science Museum of Boston asked children what came to mind when they thought of engineering. Instead of recognizing engineering as a process, children most often saw it as

Technology is the use of any object designed by humans to make a task more manageable.  Museum Educators like to ask children what technology means to them. Inevitably, the answers we receive usually have to do with electricity. “Technology is my iPad.” or “Technology are things that have power” are typical responses. A study by

Science is a way of observing the world and making predictions.  When it comes to STEAM programming, science can typically be classified as a means of thinking and making predictions. According to the Boston Children’s Museum, students are “doing science” when they are “observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions, and wondering how

Greetings from Chris, your friendly Education and Program Manager at the Children’s Museum! In a series of six posts, we will explore what STEAM learning looks like at the Museum and how we try to encourage it. This is the overview of the whole idea, and each subsequent post will focus on one of the

Has your child ever watered plants in the gardens or talked to animals in the Farmyard? Perhaps they have visited the Ag and Nature Lab to care for cows in the dairy barn, release a monarch, or build like a beaver? Experiences like these help cultivate empathy, an important skill that requires children to imagine

If you’ve played at the Museum, you’ve experienced how special the awe-inspiring environment is. The giggles and shouts of “Oh, cool! Look at this!” soon lead to curiosity; where do all the exhibits come from? Nearing completion of the Energy: Powered by Play exhibit installation The EV gets a new paint job! Early sketches of

The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) has become a favorite destination for families from across our region. From the very beginning, the founding Board and community stakeholders envisioned a beautiful gathering place that would be welcoming and accessible for all. This group made a commitment that holds true through today: to ensure all children

At the very time when children need a release from their unfortunate circumstances, our Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota needs to keep its distance.  During this extraordinary time, kids are experiencing stress from all sides. The Covid-19 pandemic alone resulted in children being pulled from their classrooms virtually overnight and forced to stay inside. They