Out on a Limb Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: marypaz, Executive Director
Children’s Museum at Holyoke
413-536-7048 ext 106 or 214-797-9071 (mobile)

Children’s Museum at Holyoke
Goes Out on a Limb to Encourage Nature Play

Holyoke, MA; Children's Museum at Holyoke is proud to announce the grand opening of Out on a Limb, adventures with nature and art, an enchanting new traveling exhibit which promotes nature-play through a sculptural, interactive design that incorporates nostalgic settings, such as a treehouse and a fort-building area. The 1,200 square foot imaginative environment is designed to inspire children and their caregivers to learn to explore nature by using their senses. More than simply seeing the beauty of a tree, the exhibit encourages visitors to hear the sounds of the forest, use leaves to make beautiful art, and build big and little structures from bark and limbs.

The whimsical atmosphere of Out on a Limb is created in part by children’s nature-themed artwork that makes up the faux bark and leaf canopy of the centerpiece tree. The individual exhibits, Whirlwind, Light Play, Forest Jam and Gnome Home, further enhance the magical scenery and are tools to enhance exploration. For example, individual activities encourage children to experiment with light and shadow, patterns of leaves, music of the forest, and the effects of the changing seasons. The exhibits also provide practice with the physical skills of climbing and balancing, which helps children to develop self confidence in outdoor play.

For children, Out on a Limb provides a unique space for unstructured play, where they can create a connection with nature on their own; while for parents and caregivers, the exhibit represents an opportunity to reminisce about their own childhood experiences in the outdoors and to re-connect with nature exploration with their children. For visitors of all ages, there are places for building, climbing, listening and exploring-- all designed to inspire a love of nature.

Inspired in particular by works from environmentalist Rachel Carson, philosopher Henry David Thoreau, and author Richard Louv, Out on a Limb’s distinctive design delivers on its promise to use natural artistic materials and full-sensory activities to nurture children’s inborn curiosity about and love for nature. It was created by Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose for the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative, a consortium of nine museums across the United States and in Canada. Due to an anonymous benefactor, and the generosity of Mountain View Landscapes and Lawncare, the Children's Museum at Holyoke was able to secure funds to host the exhibition when an opening came up in the touring schedule. It will be on display in Holyoke from February 6 to June 2010 and then will travel to the Boston Children's Museum and other collaborative member museums over the following two years.

The Children's Museum at Holyoke is located in Heritage State Park, at Dwight Street, and is open Wed-Sat 10-4 and Sun noon-4. Out on a Limb, adventures in nature and art, is included in the price of admission: $6 per person ages 1-62; under age 12 months is free; over age 62 is $3.

For more information please call 413-536-7048 ext 106.