Incorporating both educational concepts and the unique
history and environment of Northeast Florida, CMSJ's
interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs are targeted
to children ages 0-12. Within the content of these
exhibits, children learn and explore through direct
interaction with the environment and unstructured play,
allowing them to
follow their own interests and develop skills
without constraints of traditional academic settings.
CMSJ Debuts Newest Exhibit—St. Augustine Sleuths
On Saturday, September 12, the Children’s Museum of St. Johns will debut two components of its newest hands-on, interactive exhibit for children at the Florida Heritage Book Festival. Held at Flagler College in downtown St. Augustine, the book festival features a special roster of events for children with programming for ages 4-12 throughout the day. CMSJ will debut St. Augustine Sleuths, an interactive, educational exhibit based on what it was like to be a child during different periods in St. Augustine’s history. Researched and developed by a team of educators, designers, and artists, this exhibit allows children to step back in time and experience firsthand our Ancient City’s past!
St. Augustine Sleuths is a multi-component project that includes activities to help children understand and imagine what it was like to be a child living in St. Augustine in different time periods of the city’s storied past. The brainchild of Jenni Jackson, a local St. Augustine educator and one of CMSJ’s founders, St. Augustine Sleuths was launched to coincide with the prelude celebration of the city’s upcoming 450th anniversary in 2015.
“The exhibit will include modules that we can take into area schools and will serve as the basis for a wonderful exhibit in our museum when we open,” says Jackson, who is a preschool teacher at the Presbyterian Day School in St. Augustine. Jackson and co-chair Heather Marks, also an educator, have assembled a committee of fellow educators, writers, designers, and artists, who have been developing the exhibit for more than a year.
“For the initial launch, we selected one time period to work within,” explains Marks. “We decided to focus on the Colonial Period and the three major cultures within the city during this period—the Spanish, Native Americans, and African Americans.” Teams from the committee scoured archives and texts and interviewed local historians to form a body of research that is the foundation for the exhibit. “These exhibits are designed to be fun for children participating,” says Jackson, “but, inherent in every CMSJ exhibit we develop, is a educational foundation. This exhibit is focused on St. Augustine history but from a child’s unique perspective.” Each of the activities in the first phase of St. Augustine Sleuths focuses on how children of the era looked, skills they learned through their day-to-day activities, and how, as children, they had fun and entertained themselves.
Following are descriptions of the activities that will be offered at the Florida Heritage Book Festival (see schedule below):
St. Augustine Sleuths: Dressing for the Day
Using life-size story boards and replica clothing, children can dress a boy and a girl with the clothes worn by children of that era. Pockets were not invented until the late 1700s, so many children carried pouches attached to their belt or over their shoulder. So this activity also includes a “Make and Take” component in which children will create and decorate their own pouch and mini-notebook to carry inside.
Local artists Lynn Asselta and Kim Kaplan contributed the background artwork for the two life-size murals. Sally Engle, a seamstress and costume designer, crafted the clothes from vintage costuming donated by The Limelight Theatre.
St. Augustine Sleuths: Playing in the Past
During St. Augustine’s colonial period, children had to be their own toy makers and invent their own games and rules. In this activity, children will be able to participate in many games from past centuries that were simple and fun to play! Games that will be offered include: Nine Pins, a simple bowling game dating back to ancient times; Quiots, a ring toss game using a wooden peg target; Jacks; Pick-up Sticks; Dice; and Toss and Catch.
Other CMSJ Traveling Exhibits
Like a “festival of bubbles,” this
exhibit allows kids to rotate to various “bubble
stations” where they can make monster (huge) bubbles,
body bubbles, bubble windows, and skeleton bubbles. There
they can experiment with different utensils— including
just their hands—to blow all kinds of bubbles,
learn bubble “magic” tricks, and even make
a bubble as big as they are. Participants are encouraged
to experiment with their bubble creations, ask questions,
and examine the results: Can you blow a bubble inside
a bubble? Look at the places where bubbles meet—can
you make a bubble with straight sides? What do things
look like through a bubble wall?
This fun exhibit includes a variety
of activities inspired by
by North Florida's first inhabitants—the Timucuan
Indians. Kids assemble and don multi-dimensional
masks based on an authentic Florida panther mask worn
by tribal hunters and warriors. In addition, kids can
add to their Timucua costuming by crafting their own
shell jewelry made from native
shells. Offering a twist on face painting, volunteers
will paint authentic body tatoo designs on arms, cheeks,
and foreheads! Children can also piece together broken
Timucua pottery and try their hand at techniques
used by the Timucua to decorate their pottery.
Colorful, tasty foods and making healthy
choices are the focus of this fun exhibit
offered during Just TRI It!, our spring Triathlon event
for kids. Join in a veggie character
beanbag toss game and make-your-own frisbees with colorful
food selection stickers, while learning about the
foods we need to fuel our days and make our bodies healthy!
• Bob Heim-Westside Studio Clay
Arts
• Charlene
Cross Design
• Cindy
Wilson Design
• Jodi Marcil Design Studio
• Theodore
Morris and Lost Tribes of Florida
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