Grown-Ups at Play!

We love it when parents and caregivers have a great time at the Museum – playing with or without their kids! Staff and volunteers shared these stories of "big kids" at play.

A father sat by himself making a kaleidoscopic design in ThinkSpace, stacking and restacking tiles.  Referring to one of the challenge cards, he turned a tile and changed the order of the stack.  After a few tries, he checked the design he made against the original.  He then lifted his head, turned around and looked – perhaps for his family.  Finding no one, he put his completed design on the show-off shelf and selected a new challenge to try.  More than 20 minutes later, he was still in the same spot, working on another design, this time with a kid at his side.

– Robin, Director of Exhibits

I like to engage adult visitors and give them an invitation to play.  A dad and his three girls came into Discovery Studio and I showed them a ball-in-a-cup toy and challenged him to try it. It turned into a family competition, and dad won! I saw them again the next week and he said, “Remember me? I’m the champion!” 

– Wendy, Play Guide

A dad does some SERIOUS block building!

I was in Water Ways and started “seeding” the area with fun surprises.  I was inspired to do one of my favorites when I saw a young visitor using a watering can.  I set up three waterwheels on top of one another and set a watering can down next to them. When I walked by a few minutes later, a mother was pouring water into the wheels. She noticed me, grinned sheepishly and said, "I am such a kid sometimes."   I responded, "Who do you think put it there?"  We laughed together, creating a moment of emphasis on ageless fun.

– Meg, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

Children were playing with homemade play dough in Discovery Studio. A dad with two children (daughter about 5 years old and son about 2) sat at the end of the table and started to work with the dough. “Is that a monkey or a dog?” I asked him. “I don’t know yet,” he replied. When I looked back 10 minutes later, he’d created a dinosaur, three ducks, a dog and a cat and had his beautiful creations all lined up!

– Olga, Early Childhood Programs Developer

Toddlers at Play

I watched a team of toddlers busy in The Children's Garden as they filled cups with water at the fountain and carefully carried it back to the sand pit to mix with sand. Because they were only able to bring back small amounts of water and there is a lot of sand, it didn't produce much mud, but they were intent on the task nonetheless. One small girl had another idea. She dipped an archeologists’ brush into the cup of water and used it to “paint” the stone wall.

– Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director

I witnessed a great family play moment after a mom and dad followed their two young, excited daughters with these beautiful blonde curls into Littlewoods. The girls were sweet and cute, playing with the puppets, climbing the tree, and running through the cave. At one point, the parents were near the 2-year-old in the boat, while the 4-year-old put on the skunk costume. She walked over to her family, turned around, bent down, and sprayed them! They all cracked up and the parents were flabbergasted because they had no idea she knew that skunks sprayed! Then the girl just kept spraying them over and over again, and they all just laughed together. It was such a fun moment witnessing the parents learning something about their daughter and also taking part in and appreciating her play.

– Cassandra Kane, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

PlayWatch: When Grown-Ups Play

The Museum's hands-on learning environments can entertain kids of all ages for hours – and grown-ups, too! We love it when we discover the "big kids" completely engrossed in their play, whether with or without their children. It happens regularly in front of the funny mirrors, when moms and grandmoms get lost in a fit of giggles together. Upstairs, in Shape Space, often a mom and dad will be completely absorbed by building with the Jovo tiles or wooden unit blocks – working separately or together. Then, after a while, the kids will interrupt: "Mom and Dad, are you done yet? We're ready to play somewhere else now!"

A great example of grown-up play happened on Friday, when a mom spent an hour or more building an elaborate dog in Play Power, captivated as she stacked the narrow wooden Kapla blocks in careful tiers. Staff and visitors were so impressed by the finished product that no one wanted to take it down! Meanwhile, her 3-year-old son played busily nearby the entire time, just as involved as his mom.

We love that the Museum can foster such focused play experiences, and that adults feel comfortable stepping back and giving a child the freedom to play on his or her own. Now that's great parallel play!

PlayWatch: Water Wizards

This post was contributed by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Rachel Schwartz.

As I was driving into work on Easter Sunday, the roads were empty, sidewalks vacant. Providence residents were not to be seen. When the Children’s Museum opened, subsequently few families came in to play with us. Regardless of the lack of visitors, it gave a certain family a chance to really get to know Water Ways.

The water pressure was especially high in Water Ways so the fountains were shooting further than normal. A father and his 6-year-old son started out by making fountains using pipe pieces. As time went on, their fountains became more and more intricate. Eventually, they came up with a jet design. They discovered that if they covered up one of the fountain holes, there would be enough water pressure to shoot the water from the big tank to the toddler tank.

Then the determined duo decided to move the jet so that it would shoot from the big middle tank to the long side tank. The family and I walked under the stream of water many times. It was a blast!

Thank you to the family that shared this experience with me. Now this is one of my favorite tricks in Waters Ways. You never know what can happen on a slow Sunday!

Play With Your Kids!

This article by Executive Director Janice O'Donnell was also posted on Kidoinfo.

The big idea behind Providence Children’s Museum is that the best kind of learning happens through play. Kids learn all kinds of important things when they follow their own interests, make choices, try things out, solve their own problems, create their own characters and situations – by playing. As an educator, I am a true believer in this approach.

As a parent and grandparent and a friend of parents, grandparents and kids, I am also convinced that play serves an important role in family dynamics. I advocate for playing with your kids – not interfering in their independent play, but taking a playful attitude to parenting whenever you can.

A simple example of what I’m talking about: a few days ago, in the midst of the get up, eat your breakfast, get dressed, we’re going to be late routine, I said to 9-year-old Finn, “Brush your tooth.”
“My tooth?” he said, “Brush my tooth?” and headed off to the bathroom chuckling instead of complaining. It was just a moment of silliness but it softened the nag element. His giggles made me happy and my impatience dissipated. A playful attitude can change everything!

I highly recommend play as a hedge against irritation. You know those recurring trouble spots – fussing about going to bed, picky eating, sibling scuffles – that really frustrate you. Fend them off by getting playful before you get annoyed. Maybe your kid is pokey about getting dressed in the morning. Challenge her to a getting-dressed race and be really goofy about it. Act as if you are hurrying as fast as you can but make silly mistakes (like putting on your jacket inside out) that slow you down so that she wins. When you’re both laughing, it’s really hard to be angry at each other. Let’s face it, the only way you can win a battle of wills with a child is by not engaging in one.


Beyond keeping the peace, playing with your kids lets them know you’re paying attention to them. From their point of view, it can seem that your attention centers on keeping them safe and making sure they wash their hands and do their homework. When you play with them, you let them know you enjoy them and that feels really good – to the kids and to the grown-ups, too.


Parents are busy, but playing with your kids really doesn’t need to take a lot of time. You can fit it in with things you’re doing anyway. A car ride, for example, is the perfect time for singing together. My grandkids and I like songs that let the singers make up verses as they sing. “Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow” is a good one. The kids sing, “Did you ever see a giraffe…” and I rhyme it with something funny, “in a bubble bath!” They lead and I respond to them. We’re as silly as we can be and have a lot of fun.


Kids play all the time, so it’s easy to join them. Say you’re making dinner and your child comes in and roars. “Yikes! A lion!,” you say and, to prevent a lion attack, you give her a green bean. Or you’re sitting in a waiting room and he’s playing with his little cars. Take one and join his game. Vrooom! You can set a place at the table for her imaginary friend and include the figment in the conversation.

Why not play with your kids as often as possible? It makes life easier, it makes everyone happier, it’s good for them, it’s good for you – and it’s FUN!


For more playful tips, check out “Play With Your Kids! A How-To, Why-To Guide for Parents” by Providence Children’s Museum. The booklet was created to inspire families to play and learn together and is available in English and Spanish; click here to learn more about the guide.

Scenes from Vacation Week

Last week was an extra-eventful school vacation week! Museum staff and volunteers shared some great moments seen and heard as families played, explored and discovered together:

As I was walking to the Admissions Desk, I spied a fabulous threesome walking through the parking lot. One princess, one superhero and one adult starlet entered the Museum for a day of decked-out fun. Turns out the princess and her entourage were visiting for her birthday. It was so wonderful to see ALL of the family celebrating in a fun and special way!

–Liz Leahey, Experience Coordinator

A woman told me how much she loved one of the engineering programs, and that it was a wonderful way to introduce her young daughters to opportunities in science. She really appreciated that the program captured their interest and that it gave them ideas for what they might do when they grew up.

–Bonnie Platzer, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

A girl wanted to play in Water Ways but all of the aprons were being used. She took her dad by the hand and led him to the coatroom. She came back wearing her raincoat! She said, “Wasn’t that a smart idea?” Yes it was!

–Cynthia Calabro, Experience Coordinator

In Iway, three boys and one girl were playing with the big purple and yellow blocks. I showed them how to build an arch bridge and then the young boy asked, “Can I show you how I build my bridge?” The older boy then pointed to the collage of bridge pictures from around the world and proclaimed, “Yeah, there are all kinds of different bridges!” A few other kids joined in too, showing me so proudly all of their innovative ways – each one completely different – to build a bridge!

–Cassandra Kane, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

I saw two boys wearing the construction vest and hardhats from Iway, so I asked them how the construction was going. It took them a moment to catch on but then they said it was going very well and that the bridge would be done in a few weeks. I told them that I was very relieved and let them know that there was some construction that needed to happen immediately on the ship because I was setting sail that evening. They quickly went "back to work" on the ship – especially after I told them that I would pay them $100/hour!

–Rachel Schwartz, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

While greeting visitors at the Admissions Desk, I watched a little girl and her grandma get ready to leave. I bent down and asked her, “Did you have fun?” She looked at me and said,“YES!,” then put her hand close to her mouth as if she was going to tell me a secret. She whispered, “Next time I’m bringing my grandpa, too. He’s going to have a blast!”

–Carolina Roberts, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

Bringing Families Together

This post was contributed by Jess Fields, former AmeriCorps Museum Educator.

One morning I saw a young woman pacing by the entrance as I arrived at the Museum. She seemed nervous. After we opened, a family arrived with their little boy. He rushed to play at the light wall and dome in Play Power. The parents watched him and checked their watches. When the young woman from outside finally entered the Museum, she spotted the couple and they approached her with warm, nervous smiles. The boy continued his play while the adults talked softly. Finally the mother called the boy over and told him, “I want you to meet someone very special.”

The boy smiled and said “Hi!” “Hi,” said the young woman as she nervously bent over to talk to him. “Hey I wanna show you something!,” the boy said. He took her hand and they headed into Water Ways together. The parents looked on, holding hands.

“Your son is beautiful,” I said to them. “How old is he?” “Thank you,” the mother said. “He'll be 3 in a few months. He really loves it here. We picked this place together. Today is the first day he meets his birth mother – we wanted it to be somewhere familiar to him.”

“That's so wonderful,” I said. “We were afraid she wouldn't show up,” the father sighed. “She was really late.” I smiled. “She's been here since we opened, she was pacing outside of the building. I think she was nervous.” “So are we,” the mother said, “but we feel like everyone needs as much love as they can get, all of us, so this was the best decision for our family.”

The little boy cheered in the next room as his birth mother pumped water out of a tube in the tank. They both laughed and it echoed to fill the room. The parents smiled, said thank you and wandered in to enjoy their special day, together.