The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum started a program called Toddler Tuesdays, an educational program that targets children ages two to five. Toddler Tuesdays are held on the second Tuesday of each month and begin at 10:30 a.m.
Toddler Tuesdays, which began this January, are a time where younger children get to explore part of the museum, learn about it and do an arts and crafts project related to the exhibit.
“We were trying to think of new programs that we could do for families during the week to introduce them to the museum,” Amy Mitchell, PPHM Programs Coordinator, said.
The toddlers who participate in the program will get to see a different exhibit each month, rather than exploring the entire museum in one day.
“For the little guys, their attentions are much shorter than adults, and this museum is very large, so it can be overwhelming,” Mitchell said. “So, we’re taking the museum bite by bite, spending time in different galleries each month.”
Each Toddler Tuesday program lasts only 30 to 45 minutes in order to maintain the attention of the children.
“It’s nice that it is only 30 to 45 minutes long, because honestly, no matter how cool it is, a toddler will only cooperate for so long,” Stephanie Willbanks, Canyon resident and mother of a three-year-old girl, said.
For the February Toddler Tuesday, Dr. Elizabeth Clark, associate professor of History, took one of her classes to help teach the toddlers about Polish fairy tales.
“The class told a legend to the children about Kinga, a real princess who is said to have brought salt to Poland from her native Hungary,” Clark said. “She dropped her engagement ring down a mine shaft in Hungary and found it in Poland on the site of the Wieliczka salt mine, a working mine that has been in existence since the Middle Ages.”
Clark’s class told the story and brought costumes and props, including a ring, dolls dressed in Polish wedding clothes and Polish scarves. Clark’s students showed the images from the story book to the children and played a role in pretend play.
Mitchell had a salt dough craft prepared for the children. Clark took salt from the Wieliczka mine, which she found online at an import store. The children made the dough and pressed their hands into it for a take-home craft.
“Next month, we will look at art,” Mitchell said. “We’ll go up to one of the art galleries and let the kids look around and talk about some of the pieces that are on display. Then, we’ll go down to our classroom area and do an art activity down there.”
The children will get to read the book “Little Blue and Little Yellow,” a book about mixing colors together to make new colors. The children will get to experiment with mixing colors by mixing tempera paints.
“I would definitely take [my daughter] to something like that,” Willbanks said. “Especially since she is soaking up so much information right now, I think she could learn a lot from it.”
The program is free with museum admission. Children ages four and under get in free. Admission is $5 for children ages four-to-12 and $10 for adults. While the Toddler Tuesday program is aimed at children ages two to five, any families with any aged children are welcome to attend.
“I think having preschool activities at the museum is a great way to encourage families to come visit, and shows that the museum is engaged with the community,” Clark said. “Museums show us how people live and lived, and encourage us to explore our own lives and discover new things.”
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is located at 2503 4th Avenue in Canyon.
