Brain Research Powers New Playscape at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Playscape is a new permanent exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis that has incorporated this new brain research to create an authentic, physical space to help young families explore some of the most important developmental milestones of children’s lives.

The most critical time of a child’s development is 0-3 years old. In fact, research shows that children cultivate 85% of their intellect, personality and skills by age five! So, there is no time to waste when it comes to helping children make sense of the world around them and to develop some of the critical skills they need to be successful in school.

“When Playscape opens August 31st, it will provide a new research-based interactive setting to address some of the most critical skills for infancy through five years of age,” said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO, The Children’s Museum. “We have listened to parents and researchers and responded with elements to help children develop these cognitive and social skills.”

Each area includes fun activities designed to provide rich and varied experiences to encourage active play and communication for children throughage five.

Nursing moms will love the new private Mother’s Rooms – complete with sliding privacy doors, outlets for pumps, hot water for mixing formula, books, and toys to keep older children occupied. Special videos will keep the kids entertained with PNC Foundation’s Grow Up Great program videos (teaching little ones about math, spending and saving money with fun Sesame Street characters) and women’shealth messaging from St. Vincent Women’s Health (finding the right doctorand dealing with menstrual challenges).
The Babyscape nesting area is filled with mirrors and sensory experiences designed for infants not yet moving around on their own.
Play With Me! Toy Boxes contain a collection of puppets, toys and small objects to encourage parent/child interaction throughout the space so a parent who has a baby and an older preschool-aged child can play with both children at the same time.
Crawlers, cruisers, and scooters will be able to crawl through a log with a mirrored floor and openings throughout so parents and babies can play peek-a-boo with furry animal puppets.
In the Reaction Contraption, children and parents control balls traveling on various tracks, which have levers to manipulate the path. Together, you can predict and observe the way balls move through the machine.
Another cause and effect opportunity swirls around in the Whirly Twirly Tower. There, little ones feel the force of air moving in a whirlwind motion. Children can explore the airstream’s strength and make the invisible ‘visible’ using scarves to reveal wind patterns.
What kid doesn’t love water? A creek with a waterfall cascading over realistic-looking rocks is the centerpiece of an area designed tofoster learning about the properties of water and to encourage science inquiry through exploration and experimentation.
Children can also enjoy sand play in conjunction with repetitive motion activities such as filling and pouring. Playscape’s unique sand table involves tools to dig in sand, sift it, build with it, pour it, and explore how it moves. At a specially designed sifting table, children pour sand over the top of unique templates and watch as thousands of tiny grains fall into fascinating patterns – all inspired by nature.
A new climber allows children to move horizontally or vertically through a habitat resembling a pond. As the children climb to the surface of the water, they experience different perspectives of wildlife. At the top, they can sit in sailboats that appear to float on the pond and look outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The focus of visual arts for children in Playscape is all about experiencing artwork, developing a foundational appreciation for the aesthetics of art, and producing their own unique work of art.
Based on research about how to introduce key concepts in music to young children, authentic instruments are placed in the Music Studio. Little musicians learn to compose as they explore rhythm, tone,and expressive movement using real musical instruments.
Build upon a child’s current skill set in Blockopolis, which is filled with hundreds blocks for the tiny architect in training.
There will be costumes for pretend play including fish, frogs, and turtles native to Indiana.
In Blockopolis, which is filled with hundreds of blocks for the young architects and engineers in training, children will be able to progress through increasingly complex stages of block building.
Costumes for imaginative play including fish, frogs, and turtles are placed in different areas throughout Playscape.

Opening August 31st, Playscape is a new world of discovery for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children to learn about the world around them through seeing, moving, touching, listening and exploring.

Playscape is made possible through lead gift support of PNC Foundation, with additional support provided by the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund; W. B. Fortune; the Joseph F. and G. Marlyne Sexton Family; The Children’s Museum Guild; the Harlan Family Foundation; the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation; Jane and Steve Marmon; Jerry and Elsie Martin; Randall and Deborah Tobias; and Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent.

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The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children's Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org, follow us on Twitter @TCMIndy, Facebook.com/childrensmuseum and YouTube.