OLYMPIA, Wash. — There are a lot of little hands - doing a lot of big things - at Olympia's Hands On Children's Museum.
It's about a mile from the Washington State Capitol Building, but in this building, the kids are in charge.
"This museum actually is the largest and most visited [children’s museum] in the Pacific Northwest, which is really amazing because we are located in a smaller community,” said Patty Belmonte, Executive Director of Hands On Children’s Museum.
Since its founding in 1987, this non-profit museum has won many awards, including Best of Western Washington.
It's one of the state's top five day-trip destinations.
Kids have a blast here. So do the grownups accompanying them.
"Children's museums are all about getting kids engaged in learning. Inspired. Excited to learn. And it's really a place that children and families can learn together, which is really awesome,” said Belmonte.
There's even a preschool. Jason Weigold and Dontae Payne are the parents of 4-year-old Priscilla, who we found pressing apples into juice, with a very determined look on her face.
"This is her second year attending the preschool program here and we love it. They do a great job with her,” said Payne.
"Her job right now at this age is primarily play, and that's really important and that's what we were looking for when choosing a preschool for her,” added Weigold.
Tim and Vonna Madeley - Tim is Board President of the museum - have been bringing their grandchildren here for years. The couple and five grandkids were perched at a table in the museum’s MakeSpace, using clay, pens and paper to create.
"I brought them here this summer, and we were here for 5 hours. I asked them if they wanted to leave for lunch and they said 'let's just eat in the cafe, so we can keep playing.' I had to drag them out at the end of five hours!” laughed Vonna Madelay.
Grandson Jack has come here since he was a baby, he’s 12 now. So we decided to get his expert’s take on the top three places at the museum:
“The pirate ship outside, the eagle nest, and maybe downstairs, in the corner where all the firetrucks and police cars are,” said Jack.
That 'pirate ship' is the museum’s newest attraction: Volunteers worked thousands of hours to restore the 'Meghan D'.
"It's 56 feet, and it's the real thing. Kids can climb all over it and see what it feels like to be on an actual schooner,” said Belmonte.
Special guests - like dancers from Olympia's Ballet Northwest - engage and inspire.
Many hands make Olympia’s Hands On Children’s Museum a special place.
And they all make learning light work.
"I think what I love best about this museum is that the fingerprints of our entire community are on this museum,” said Belmonte.
Hands On Children's Museum | 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia WA 98501 | (360) 956-0818
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