Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will create a series of three pop-up, experimental play experiences. These play experiences, called "adventures," are designed to support young children's (ages 0-6) need to learn through open-ended play and also support caregivers' need to understand and facilitate their children's development. Development of these play experiences support OMSI's need to provide more accessible, meaningful experiences for families with young children as part of strategic initiative to invest in early childhood education. Each adventure will be developed by OMSI in collaboration with a child development expert from Lewis and Clark College to focus on a specific aspect of play and its role in a child's development. OMSI staff and the researcher will also create complementary interpretive materials to encourage caregivers to observe their children playing and to learn more about the value of play.