Small visitors make for huge success at Canadian Children’s Museum

Small visitors make for huge success at Canadian Children’s Museum – 8-millionth visitor heralded this morning

Part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Children’s Museum is a spectacular interactive learning space. With its emphasis on interactive hands-on learning, the Canadian Children’s Museum seeks to enrich children’s lives, broaden their cultural experience and provide them with a creative space where they can learn about the Canada and the world.

Museum staff crowned Margot Pope-Peluso with a fanciful balloon headdress as local entertainer Ian Quick gathered a crowd of visitors to celebrate the 8-million visitor milestone. Margot took home a package of goodies including a sunhat, a t-shirt, a backpack and lunch box, binoculars, a fishing rod and other fun summer toys. Visitors who were there received a special bracelet as a souvenir of the occasion.

This was not Margot’s first visit to the Children’s Museum. When asked what she most wanted to do this time, she replied: “I like to be the driver on the bus,” referring to one of the best-loved artifacts, a brightly decorated bus that comes straight from Pakistan.

Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, underlines that the Children’s Museum is a success because its exhibitions and programming are based on solid educational principles. “The Museum delivers high-quality experiences for parents and children to enjoy together,” said Dr. Rabinovitch. “Children delight in activities that challenge and entertain them and we devote our expertise to ensure the Children’s Museum meets their developmental needs.”

The Children’s Museum attracts half a million visitors each year. It is the largest exhibition centre designed for children in Canada. Its 3,000-square-metre space includes a spectacular international village where children can travel the world in a bicycle taxi, a tuk-tuk, a camel or a vintage motor bike. Their journey of discovery gives them the chance to load cargo on a ship, play backgammon inside a Bedouin tent, design a building, create an Indonesian shadow puppet, play drums, do origami art, decipher hieroglyphics or take to the stage — and much more. From preschool age to youth, the Museum offers children creative and engaging ways to learn about themselves, their country and the world.

The Canadian Children’s Museum has a permanent collection of more than 15,000 artifacts, props and hands-on items for use in its exhibitions and programs. This unique collection includes toys, games, clothing, art, photographs and objects that testify to historic and contemporary aspects of children’s lives.

Exhibitions created by the Canadian Children’s Museum tour internationally and the Museum is the only Canadian member of a North America-wide Youth Museums Exhibit Collaborative (YMEC).

A special temporary exhibition, Top Secret: Mission Toy, is currently on display in the newly expanded Kaleidoscope Gallery until September 3, 2007. Top Secret brings kids into a team of experts brought together for an important mission: to investigate the world of toys.

Media Information:

Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: 819 776-7167

Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of