Children's Museum of Richmond552

The mission of the Children's Museum of Richmond is to inspire all children by appealing to their natural capacity for curiosity, exploration, and learning. CMoR's engaging learning environments are created for children to learn, and be happy and healthy through play. Carefully designed exhibits help children recognize and build on what is familiar and allow them to make new connections between their own experiences, the people and places that surround them, and the world beyond their community. CMoR's exhibits are designed to foster creative, unstructured play, discovery, and problem solving.

Little Farm, for children three and under, features a Crawler Patch for infants and a Silo Slide. Children can fish in the pretend pond or ride in the boat. The Farm House has a kitchen to cook the veggies they pick from the vegetable patch. Young children can practice sorting and learning colors at the Farmers Market.

The Dairy Barn features a life-size cow ready to be milked. Children can take turns milking her and learn that milk comes from an animal not the grocery store.

The Cave allows children to see stalagmites and stalactites that form inside real caves. There is a little tunnel to crawl through and other cozy spaces to explore.

The Backyard is a year-round, outdoor space where children can explore the natural world. Activities include a big sandbox, water squirts and a small flowing stream, musical instruments to play, a stage to perform on, self guided weaving, and painting with water. Just like inside the museum, there is a separate Early Childhood area (suggested for children three and under) that includes water and sand play.

Town Square is a mini version of Richmond. It has cobblestone carpeted walkways that lead to a garage, TV studio, café, grocery store, health center, ambulance, bank, school, and shadow park. Children and grown-ups can role play and explore the community through pretend play.

The Art Studio encourages both individual and collaborative visual arts experiences utilizing a wide variety of recycled materials, child-sized tools, and innovative art techniques. Many types of media such as painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and crafts are explored through the use of color, patterns, and textures.

Birthday party packages include set-up and clean-up by museum staff, a birthday buddy to assist with party activities, full museum admission for all guests before or after the party, CMoR party invitations, and exclusive use of a party room for 90 minutes. The first hour includes games and activities facilitated by the birthday buddy. The last half hour can be dedicated to gifts and cake. A goody bag and balloon are provided for each child.

CMoR also offers camp programs for children ages two-and-a-half to nine during school breaks and over the summer. Check the website for details. Family membership is $125 and up.