I mentioned in the previous post that our family made a trip to Pennsylvania last week for a wedding near Philadelphia. While there we decided to explore two big family destinations. Our first stop was the Please Touch Museum located directly in Philadelphia, PA. Our second stop was Sesame Place and will get its due justice in the following post. Anyone who knows me knows I am a children's museum fanatic. As a play-based educator, quality children's museums are to me what fine art museums are to an artist. In my early childhood readings the Please Touch Children's Museum seems to pop up every now and then. I vowed that if I were ever in or near Philly I'd check it out, as my readings portrayed it as the holy grail of children's museums. And of course I now have the toughest museum critic of all, a two year old. The museum received rave reviews from mommy, daddy, and Edmund alike.
As we walked to the door of the museum we were greeted by a sculpture of the Philly Phanatic (an odd looking green creature who serves as the Philadelphia Phillies mascot). Edmund pleadingly asked "I see it, OK?" We let Edmund give the sculpture a quick hug and made our way inside the museum. We immediately went to the left when Edmu
nd saw a bus in the transportation exhibit of the museum. He sat in the passenger seat and sang "The Wheels on the Bus" while waiting for a turn in the driver's seat. As soon as the opportunity arose Edmund stopped mid-song, ran to the driver's seat, and began shuttling the other children around the museum. He got about as far as only a stationary bus can go. After a minute we had Edmund relinquish control to another child and explored the rest of the exhibit. Edmund had his first opportunity to pump gas into a real car. "I pumping gas," he exclaimed. Just like mommy and daddy do and no worry about spillover (this is pretend fuel we're talking about here). There was much more to see and do, but we returned to the bus several times before heading to a different exhibit.Edmund passed over a chance at water play. Edmund relishes in water play, but I will admit the water play stations at the museum were just a bit too tall for Edmund to really enjoy. He found a small play area designed specifically for children under three and explored it for a while. This section reminded me a lot of the soft mall playground, but Edmund didn't have to wait his turn very long or compete with older children, which was a nice change of pace. When he was finished we moved to a music exhibit modeled after a rainforest. I think I found this exhibit more appealing than Edmund as it was then that he spotted the 100 year old Dentzel Carou
sel. We had passed a carousel earlier in the day, at which time Edmund stated "I ride carousel at the zoo one day." I thought it might be awhile, but now he had his opportunity. Steven begrudgingly agreed to buy tickets. He may have been correct in not wanting to pay money for the carousel for when I went to put Edmund on a horse he began to scream. I finally realized he wanted to sit on the bench seat, but another child was already sitting there. I pointed this out, but Edmund continued to protest. The mom of the infant on the bench beckoned me over. I'm sure she simply wanted my child to quiet down, but she offered us the seat. I should have known there was a catch. The seat was ours if I would keep her infant from falling off the bench while she held her daughter on one of the horses. Deal! The baby remained upright and Edmund got to ride on the bench.At this point our visit got a little bit overwhelming. Lest I be judged as a neglectful mother, I must tell you that the museum is pricey, $15 a person, and no Edmund was not free. We decided to push through Edmund's nap time to explore the rest of the museum. There was an incredible Alice in Wonderland exhibit that Steven and I found extraordinary. It felt just as if we were falling through the rabbit's hole. Edmund was a little cranky (slight understatement) at this point, though he did enjoy playing croquet with a flamingo mallet. He also perked up when he found a small slide near the Red Queens court.
After going "through the looking glass" Steven and I decided we would quickly look at the final exhibits without having Edmund do too much playing. He seemed tired, that is until he saw what the next exhibit entailed. All children's museums seem to have the obligatory dramatic play sections with play kitchens and food. I figured, been there done that, this will be quick. I was wrong. The first stop in the dramatic play section was fairly typical with dolls and strollers. Then we came to it--a grocery store--set up exactly like our local grocer, but on a smaller scale. There was a meat department, a bread department, a produce department, you get the picture. Volunteers were constantly restocking the shelves so there were always enough items from which to choose. What impressed me most was that one of each food item was stored behind clear plexiglass so it was obvious which items went where, and also gave
the appearance of a fully stocked store. Miniature shoppers with realistic metal carts were everywhere. Edmund chose several variety of breads and for some strange reason, a large package of tea bags, to add to his cart. After adding the tea bags to his cart, Edmund declared "I check out." Ever mindful of "five-a-day" I encouraged him to shop for some produce. He protested, saying "no mommy, I check out." Edmund patiently waited in one of several check-out lines until his turn came to put his items on the conveyor belt. He carefully unloaded his items while the little girl on the other side of the counter unloaded her items. She grabbed some of Edmund's items and placed them in her cart while Edmund grabbed some of hers. Both children seemed happy with their final "purchases", paid the mommy and daddy cashiers, and went on their way. Steven and I found the whole scenario hilarious. The children were clearly well versed in grocery shopping etiquette, save for one difference--they would eye each others' carts, find some better items, and trade, all without words or incident. Can you imagine if adults pulled food out of each others' carts at the store? What I imagine involves some choice words and the police. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from these miniature shoppers.Edmund could have "shopped" all day, but we needed to get going. We let him explore the mini hospital, shoe store, and restaurant before allowing him one more trip on the stationary bus. What I fou
nd so incredible about the set-up of the dramatic play exhibit was that each "community landmark" had it's own room and was a perfect miniature replica of a place children see in everyday life. Children slightly older than Edmund were developing elaborate play schemes, which I see to a certain extent in preschools, but these went beyond anything I have seen to this point. I was also amazed how well children who didn't even know each other collaborated to make their play scenarios "click." We probably won't find ourselves at the Please Touch Museum again anytime soon, but I am certainly glad our family had the opportunity to experience what I'll call a "Philadelphia Phenomenon."Location:
Please Touch Museum
Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park
4231 Avenue of the Republic
Philadelphia, PA 19131
