Research progress report: May 24th, 2019

Many children’s museums are using textile and sensory experiences for young children between the ages of 4-9. The Children’s Museum of Phoenix has an exhibit called BlockMania that has various different kinds of blocks with different colors, sizes, materials, and textures. The raw material helps children develop abstract thinking and can help teach spatial awareness through building and balancing. They also offer another exhibit called Noodle Forest that is an immersive sensory experience with dozens of vertically standing noodles. There is a large emphasis on hands-on learning to teach children new skills and coordination. The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County also has an exhibit for young learners called the Dynamic Sensory Bin that is filled with sand and magnets and it is used to learn about different tools, funnels, and shovels for stimulating play. It also includes images and graphics next to the station so that children can have a visual representation of how much it takes to fill up a cup.