Please Touch Museum
Encyclopedia
The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, USA
. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years old and younger.
on October 2, 1976, in a 2200 square feet (204.4 m²) space, and moved to another location on nearby Cherry Street two years later. In 1983, the museum moved to 21st Street near the Franklin Institute
. On February 14, 2005, the museum received an 80-year lease for Memorial Hall
(in Fairmount Park
), the last major building left from the 1876 Centennial Exposition
. This came after plans to relocate the museum to a location at Penn's Landing
fell through. Renovations at Memorial Hall began on December 15, 2005, and the museum closed its 21st Street location on September 1, 2008. On October 18, 2008, the museum opened at its current location with a larger facility and more exhibits.
A mystery by Sheila Connolly
, Let's Play Dead, is set at a fictional Philadelphia museum based on Please Touch.
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Among the attractions in the museum are:
initiated the Great Friend to Kids Award in 1991, to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening education
for children. National Great Friend to Kids Award winners include Fred Rogers ("Mister Rogers") and Marian Wright Edelman
(president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund
).
In 1996, the Please Touch Museum began presenting its own GFTK award, to coincide with the museum's 20th birthday. The awards honor individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children. The 2009 awards were designed by Philadelphia artist Leo Sewell, creator of Please Touch Museum's own "Artie the Elephant" and the Statue of Liberty Arm & Torch created entirely from discarded toys.
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years old and younger.
History
The museum originally opened at the Academy of Natural SciencesAcademy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
on October 2, 1976, in a 2200 square feet (204.4 m²) space, and moved to another location on nearby Cherry Street two years later. In 1983, the museum moved to 21st Street near the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
. On February 14, 2005, the museum received an 80-year lease for Memorial Hall
Memorial Hall (Philadelphia)
Memorial Hall, designed by Herman J. Schwarzmann for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an early example of monumental Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States. Schwarzmann, the chief engineer of the Fairmount Park Commission, also designed the temporary...
(in Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of 63 parks, with , all overseen by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, successor to the Fairmount Park Commission in 2010.-Fairmount Park proper:...
), the last major building left from the 1876 Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
. This came after plans to relocate the museum to a location at Penn's Landing
Penn's Landing
Penn's Landing is the waterfront area of the Center City along the Delaware River section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is so named because the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, docked near here in 1682, along the now paved over Dock Creek, after landing first in New...
fell through. Renovations at Memorial Hall began on December 15, 2005, and the museum closed its 21st Street location on September 1, 2008. On October 18, 2008, the museum opened at its current location with a larger facility and more exhibits.
A mystery by Sheila Connolly
Sheila Connolly
Sheila Connolly is a mystery writer and author of three mystery series published by Berkley Prime Crime.-Career:The Glassblowing Mystery series, written under the pen name Sarah Atwell, debuted in March 2008 with “Through a Glass, Deadly”...
, Let's Play Dead, is set at a fictional Philadelphia museum based on Please Touch.
Exhibits
- Alice in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
and River Adventures play areas. - City Capers, which features the John Wanamaker'sWanamaker'sWanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
Rocket MonorailMonorailA monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
from the defunct department store and part of the set from the Captain Noah and His Magical ArkCaptain Noah and His Magical ArkCaptain Noah and His Magical Ark was a television program for children and was generally broadcast around the Philadelphia area. The series aired from 1967 to 1994. It was film and produced at the WPVI-TV, Channel 6 studios in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, was...
TV show. - Space Station, which features a series of display cases with over three decades of Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
toys. - Please Taste Cafe.
- Roadside Attractions, a new locale with a SEPTA bus and actual car.
- The Walking PianoBig pianoBig Piano is a musical instrument, invented in 1976 by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania kinetic artist and inventor Remo Saraceni, merging dance, music, and play...
by local kinetic artKinetic artKinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
ist Remo Saraceni, made famous in the film BigBigBig is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
. - Displays from the Lit BrothersLit BrothersLit Brothers was a moderate priced department store based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Samuel and Jacob Lit opened the first store at Eight and Market Streets in 1893....
' Enchanted Colonial Christmas Village during the Christmas season. - A retrospective of the Centennial Exposition, including a restored miniature diorama of the park.
- A replica of the arm and torch from the Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, created from discarded toys by Leo SewellLeo SewellLeo Sewell is an American "found object" artist. His assemblages of recycled material are in over 40 museums and in private collections worldwide.Sewell was born in Annapolis, Maryland and moved to Philadelphia in 1974...
. - The Woodside Park carouselCarouselA carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
, built by the Philadelphia-based Dentzel Carousel Company in 1908, on loan from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionPennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionThe Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
.
Programs
- Playhouse Theater - As a key component of the overall museum experience, Playhouse performances by in-house performers present unique opportunities for playful learning, imagination, innovation and audience interaction featuring music, movement, folklore and/or puppetry, all while introducing children to live arts.
- Program Room - Each month, there is a new set of art experiences, which include a studio art experience, a sensory art experience and a manipulative art experience. Whether you are painting with your child for the first time, or building a tower with blocks, the Program Room is an ideal space for parent-child interaction.
- Story Castle - Stop in for daily storytimes, meet a storybook character, or read a book on your own in this relaxed environment. Programming in the Story Castle is accessible for kids at all developmental and ability levels.
Great Friend to Kids (GFTK) Awards
The Association of Children's MuseumsAssociation of Children's Museums
The Association of Children's Museums is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Museums and grew out of the desire for children's museums to meet...
initiated the Great Friend to Kids Award in 1991, to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
for children. National Great Friend to Kids Award winners include Fred Rogers ("Mister Rogers") and Marian Wright Edelman
Marian Wright Edelman
Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist for the rights of children. She is president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.-Early years:...
(president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund
Children's Defense Fund
The Children's Defense Fund is an American child advocacy and research group, founded in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman. Its motto Leave No Child Behind reflects its mission to advocate on behalf of children...
).
In 1996, the Please Touch Museum began presenting its own GFTK award, to coincide with the museum's 20th birthday. The awards honor individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children. The 2009 awards were designed by Philadelphia artist Leo Sewell, creator of Please Touch Museum's own "Artie the Elephant" and the Statue of Liberty Arm & Torch created entirely from discarded toys.
See also
- List of children's museums in the United States (alphabetical)
- :Category:Children's museums in the United States (by state)