THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412070140
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JUDITH PARKER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 149 lines
In a time not so long ago, someone had a special idea to create a magical place where children could explore the wonders of science alongside the light-mindedness of play. In time, it became a land of hocus focus and make-believe, of psychedelic rainbows and percussion harmonies, of translucent bubbles and rock climbing walls, of an imaginary drive aboard a very real fire truck or manipulating the steel arm of a yellow-colored crane, of building blocks, fanciful art and electronic vistas. In time, the idea became the new Children's Museum of Virginia.
This is the story of how it began. And like the thousands of young visitors who have been filled with awe and wonder and curiosity for a dozen plus two years at its ever-changing passages of learning and exploration, this is a story of growth and maturity.
The roots of the Children's Museum of Virginia are intrinsically linked with the founding of the Portsmouth Service League in 1955. When the 34 founding members of the league first organized, their intended purpose was to focus on bolstering volunteer activities that would make the city an even better place to live.
During its early years, the league sponsored community projects such as restoration of the Hill House garden, the renovation of Portsmouth General Hospital's pediatric unit, and equipping the DAC Center for Learning with playground equipment.
But the one project of the league's that has reached and challenged more inquisitive young minds has been the Children's Museum of Virginia, originally called the Tidewater Children's Museum when it opened in 1980.
I was on a committee back in 1979 that was trying to find a new project for the league. Someone came up with the idea of sponsoring special programs designed for children,'' explained Frances J. Gill, assistant principal at James Hurst Elementary.
``One of our members had visited The Children's Museum in Washington, D.C., and was very impressed with the idea of an interactive museum for children,'' she said.
``As I recall, the Service League was able to obtain a small grant from the Virginia Fine Arts Commission, which provided air fare for myself and another member to visit the Boston (Massachusetts) Children's Museum to see if something similar could be set up in Portsmouth,'' Gill said.
``The Boston museum was such a neat experience. We came back really excited with an idea we knew could be a success. And there was a built-in bonus because it wouldn't require a high budget,'' she said.
``Children's museums are unique because they are places for not just looking and not just listening. That's why they are so popular,'' she added.
``I'm a kindergarten teacher at heart, and believe very strongly in the benefit of hands-on learning, especially during early childhood.''
The first children's museum in Portsmouth was housed in an L-shaped room in the basement of the main library on Court Street. Funding during its first two years of operation came from $40,000 donated by the Portsmouth Service League and a $15,000 grant from the city.
Hugely popular from its opening day - slightly more than 26,000 children visited the museum between 1980 and the first three months of 1982 - the museum nevertheless came extremely close to shutting its doors in May 1982 when anticipated grant money failed to materialize.
Then-city manager, the late Robert House, agreed to consider adding the Children's Museum to the city's museum system with the understanding that the city would not be obligated to provide any funding for the fledgling facility.
But if it became an addition to the city's museum tour, and moved to space that was being vacated by the Community Arts Center due to its move to the newly restored 1846 Court House, there was a better chance at survival for the children's museum because it could then attract more paid admissions.
Coupled with an additional pledge from the Portsmouth Service League of $5,000 and a $1,500 gift from the Kiwanis Club, the move from a private enterprise to a city operation was guaranteed.
According to 1982 articles, the director of museums, Frederick Bayersdorfer, speculated that the children's museum could become an economically viable institution through the sale of memberships, admission charges, a program of corporate support, and additional contributions.
For the next two years, the museum operated principally on donations. In 1984, the museum was added to the city's annual operating budget.
As with any museum, it's the uniqueness and freshness of exhibits that attract visitors. In a children's museum, the must-have qualities are to mix playfulness with challenging learning opportunities.
The first major exhibition of The Tidewater Children's Museum in 1980 was ``The City.'' It allowed youngsters to interact with some of the things common to city life. A parking meter, police motorcycle and firefighters' gear and hardware were some of the objects that gave color and shape to childrens' explorations of adult things.
``The City'' was followed by ``Water, Water Everywhere,'' another visual hands-on display in a city whose history is tied closely with navigable waters and the commerce they generate.
``Our third major exhibit was `Optical Illusions,' said Trish Pfeifer, who served as curator of the museum from its opening until 1993.
``Optical Illusions'' was patterned after `The Exploratorium,' a San Francisco exhibit that attempted to pique natural childhood curiosities about what is seen and what is imagined to be seen, Pfeifer explained.
In 1986, the museum presented ``Healthy Spaces, Helping Places,'' an exhibit underwritten by then-Mary-view Hospital that allowed youngsters the chance to handle stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, dental drills and various other pieces of medical equipment.
Through the years, the children's museum has broadened the variety of exhibits to include live entertainment programming such as ``Bre'r Rabbit Tales,'' ``Pinocchio'' and ``Santa's Holiday Adventure.''
But it's been the hands-on, interactive exhibits that have proven again and again to be the most entertaining and most popular.
Although the Children's Museum of Virginia is celebrating its 14th year of operation, it continues to offer a unique experience not only for children but for their parents, grandparents and guardians.
``Children's museums are still somewhat revolutionary in the museum field,'' Pfeifer said.
``The evolution of children's museums began in the early 1960s and were strongly influenced by the theories of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. For example, Piaget believed that a child's understanding of structure comes through their senses,'' Pfeifer explained.
``On the East Coast, Michael Spock, son of pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock, was influential in developing the interactive exhibits of the Boston Children's Museum. In California, a physics professor at Cal-Berkeley (and father of the atomic bomb), J. Robert Oppenheimer developed `The Exploratorium,' the exhibit we restructured for Portsmouth,'' Pfeifer added.
``Oppenheimer's idea was that through constructive `play,' where children are encouraged to manipulate objects, they begin to explore on their own how things work. In `The Exploratorium' for example, Oppenheimer had an exhibit called `What's Inside.' It was a washing machine cut in half. The intent was to encourage curiosity about how things work. . . . He believed children should be encouraged to ask provocative questions about their environment. The result is that a child's self-esteem is raised, especially when they discover they're able to answer their own questions.''
From it's bare-bones infancy to it's sparkling new lodgings on High Street, The Children's Museum of Virginia has endeavored to create energizing pathways of learning for children. Exhibits are paced to meet the challenge of discovering new things based on individual abilities.
Some youngsters, Pfeifer said, learn more quickly through spatial concepts, while others have more keenly developed motor skills, or the talent to grasp the unknown through kinetic art.
``There's no wrong way or right way. . . . It's the individual child's way,'' Pfeifer added. ``The wonderful thing about children's museums is that they offer the freedom to explore . . . and still be a child.'' MEMO: Related stories on pages 10 and 12. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MARK MITCHELL
In the ``Art Moves'' section of the museum, children may discover
the wonder of this plasma ball displaying the effects of static
electricity.
In ``The City '' section, a real-life police motorcycle is on
display.
by CNB