Omaha Children's Museum facts for kids
The Omaha Children's Museum is a super fun place in Omaha, Nebraska, where young people can learn and explore! It's like a giant playground designed to spark your imagination and make learning exciting. This museum has even won a special national award for being awesome!
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Discover the Omaha Children's Museum
The Omaha Children's Museum is a special place run by a private group that wants to make learning exciting and spark your imagination. It was started in 1976 by Karen Levin, Jane Ford Hawthorne, Betty Hiller, and some local teachers.
It began as a small group of traveling exhibits and activities. Today, it's a huge building in downtown Omaha, covering about 60,000 square feet (that's like 1.5 football fields!). The museum has a group of community leaders who help guide it.
In 1989, the museum moved to its current and permanent home. A few years later, in 1993, the main floor got a big makeover. This included the awesome Charlie Campbell Science and Technology Center.
The museum has won special "Leading Edge Awards" for making visits super fun. These awards were given by the Association of Science and Technology Museums in 2004 and 2010.
Explore the Amazing Exhibits
The Omaha Children's Museum has updated its permanent exhibits to make them even better! Let's check out some of the cool areas you can explore:
Creative Arts Center
This is a fantastic place for young artists! It has a theater where you can watch or perform, an Artist-in-Residence Studio where you might see real artists at work, and areas for community sculpture and art projects.
Charlie Campbell Science and Technology Center
Get ready for some science fun here!
- The Super Gravitron is a giant machine where balls zoom through tubes and on rails, powered by air, wind, and water. It's really cool to watch!
- You can also find an inventors workshop where you can create and experiment.
- Try out the pulley and vacuum chairs to see how different forces work.
- At the Science Showplace, you can watch exciting live science presentations.
Outdoor Adventures
Outside the museum, there are even more things to do!
- The Imagination Playground is perfect for younger kids to build and play.
- Sandy’s Splish-Splash Garden is an interactive fountain area where you can cool off and have fun with water on a hot day.
- Look for the tall kinetic tower, which is 51 feet high, and four giant whirligigs that look like huge pinwheels, each 24 feet tall! They show how energy can create movement.
Special Programs and Traveling Shows
The museum also brings in new and exciting traveling exhibitions all the time. These shows cover different topics like art, science, and history. They also have special educational programs. The museum's Science Lab has even been featured on the PBS Kids website!
See also
- Culture in Omaha
