The Please Touch Museum has unveiled a new permanent gallery – the first since 2008, when the children's museum moved from 21st Street to its current location in Fairmount Park.
“The reimagining of the museum’s beloved 'City Capers' gallery into 'Healthy Me, Healthy Family, Healthy Community' will allow us the opportunity to create a more relevant learning environment for today’s 21st century young learners," stated Please Touch Museum's President and CEO Patricia D. Wellenbach.
On Thursday, Nov. 16, the first phase of "Healthy Me, Healthy Family, Healthy Community" opened to children and grownups. In general, the gallery is focused on promoting healthy lifestyles through play.
In the Bistro, an imaginative sandwich shop, children can play with their food. They can stand behind the counter to take orders and make plastic – but realistic-looking – lunches.
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Without realizing it, the children role-playing are learning about making healthy food choices, financial literacy and real-world social interactions.
For grownups, a wall in the supermarket offers advice on how to continue learning outside the museum, in their local grocery store.
In the future, there will also be a test kitchen in the new gallery where children can learn about growing food and sustainability.
One of the first is "Friendsgiving Feast" on Saturday, Nov. 18. Children can role-play by preparing a healthy meal and setting the table for a friend-filled Thanksgiving feast.
Other upcoming events in the gallery are a live chef demonstration and an educational puppet show. Check the museum's calendar for details on all events.
Please Touch Museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sundays it opens at 11 a.m. Admission is $19.