Melanie Horton, an Oswego native, left her hometown to live in the big city of Chicago with her new family. When she came back, she found things in downtown Oswego a little different than how they were when she left them, including the addition of The Children’s Museum in Oswego.
”I think the museum is a great addition to the city,” Horton said. “I was really excited to come into town and see that this was here. We have a few museums in Chicago, so to be able to bring my son I thought it was wonderful. And so far the experience was really good. He’s really excited. Everything he sees he’s oohing and ahing at.”
The Children’s Museum in Oswego, or the CMOO, is turning out to be a hit. The museum opened on Feb. 8, 2016. It’s the only operating children’s museum and the first children’s museum to ever have operated in Oswego. The facility caters mostly to children up to age 10.
Executive Director Jillian Shaver sat by the door as she welcomed young ones and their care takers in to explore.
“We wanted to create a resource where children could come to learn, come to play and explore and be creative,” Shaver said. “We felt at the time that the resources didn’t exist in the community and we wanted to start the first children’s museum in Oswego.”
The non-profit aims to create a comfortable place to play and learn for the young community of Oswego. The board of Trustees at the CMOO created a mission called the First 40, which called for 40 organizations or community members to give each a donation of $1,000 to the museum to help get it off the ground and keep it flying. The mission was successful.
Some of these donors include Anthony Pauldine, owner of Canal Commons, The Richard S. Shineman foundation, an assistant accounting professor at Oswego State, Donald P. Cram, Wayne drug, Oswego State and other local people and businesses in Oswego.
Children, parents and grandparents are charged $5 each for museum entrance, which includes a full day of play.
The museum sees many toddlers and parents in the early morning and the museum often clears out around lunch time. Older children are walking through the doors later in the afternoon, often after school. The older children have opportunities to learn more advanced materials involving robotics and other sciences.
Shaver spent the last two and a half years with her team taking the exhibits to libraries and schools as a test before opening the doors to 7 W. Bridge St., which rests on the corner of West First Street.
Shaver said children museums are multidisciplinary and usually engage children in science, literacy, math, reasoning and even social skills. All the while, children are encouraged to play, explore and have fun with the exhibits at the CMOO.
Two of the exhibits that stood out were the “Imagination Playground” and the “ Farm to Table.”
The Imagination Playground is a spot with large, light weight blocks that are meant for building. Little ones can use their teamwork skills in order to make the constructions of their dreams.
The Farm to Table is a mock market that allows children to pick out fruits and vegetables and bring them to the table.
Shaver said when choosing a location, being near the bus stop was ideal, as well as being handicap accessible. Shaver hopes the museum will encourage families to shop at the local bookstore, candy shop and nearby places to grab a bite of lunch.
