Huntington Children’s Museum is more than just a museum. By nurturing curiosity and fostering a love for learning, the museum is empowering the next generation to build a brighter future.
By Katherine Pyles
HQ 127 | AUTUMN 2024
The sound of laughter and the hum of creativity fill the air at Huntington Children’s Museum, where young minds are free to explore, imagine and create. The museum, which opened in July, is a testament to the power of play, said board president Tosha Pelfrey.
“Learning through play is essential,” said Pelfrey, who developed the idea for the museum with her husband and a small group of community members in 2020. “When kids learn through playing, they learn how to be problem-solvers. They learn how to be comfortable with not knowing how to do something, with failing and persevering.”
At Huntington Children’s Museum, they learn those skills by interacting with a variety of hands-on exhibits. At Sensory City, young builders construct castles out of crushed ice and geological structures out of sand. At Curiosity Cove, budding artists transform ideas into reality — they sketch their creations, build them with Lego bricks and even bring them to life in stop-motion videos. At the water table exhibit, kids build dams, race boats and explore the science of water flow.
“It’s so important for kids to have spaces designed just for them,” said Pelfrey, a mom of two and former math teacher. “Everything at the museum, down to the furniture, is designed for children.”
And it’s all available to touch, added Raine Klover, the museum’s executive director.
“If kids can see it, they can touch it,” Klover said. “And because we have an open floor plan, they can take things from one area to another. Kids surprise me every day — you’ll find a shark from the Discovery Zone over in the water table, and you’ll go, ‘Oh, sharks do go in water; that makes sense.’”
For those who’ve visited other children’s museums, some of the exhibits will be familiar — an indoor playground and climbing tower, a kid-sized city, even a gift shop. But what sets Huntington Children’s Museum apart is its commitment to accessibility and inclusivity: even the museum’s location was chosen with accessibility in mind, Pelfrey said.
“The location we chose is right off the highway, so it’s really accessible — the bus route is right there, Central City Elementary is within walking distance, there’s a parking lot so families can visit without having to walk too far,” she said.
Accessibility features include universal design restrooms and play therapy guides that give developmentally appropriate ideas for interacting with the exhibits.
“We want to make sure all children, regardless of background or ability, have the opportunity to learn and grow,” Pelfrey said.
Located in the West End at 1700 Washington Ave., Huntington Children’s Museum is an active partner in the efforts to revitalize Central City.
“Everyone in Central City has been really welcoming,” Pelfrey said. “There have been people working really hard for years to revitalize this area, and we’re happy to contribute.”
She said the museum offers discounted tickets to families who receive WIC or SNAP benefits.
“It’s very important to us that we work to make STEAM education available to everyone,” Pelfrey said. “Even just creating an environment where a child can see that they’re already an engineer, or they’re already an artist, where they can learn to love these subjects and concepts and not be fearful of them — that can really have an impact.”
Partnering with local schools, Marshall University and a wide range of community groups, the museum has become a hub for knowledge-sharing. Klover said volunteers are a key component of the collaborative learning atmosphere: when children are treated as partners in learning or in solving a problem, they are empowered to think critically and creatively, she said.
“Watching kids interact with adults and be treated on the same level, whether that’s by a volunteer or a family member or one of our staff members, I’m like, ‘Yes! That’s it!’” Klover said. “We’re teaching them things, but they’re teaching us things, too.”
Because the volunteers and other guests — and even the exhibits themselves, which are highly interactive — change day by day, no two visits are alike.
“Older children and adults are going to have a good time, too,” Klover said. “This is a place for families and people of all ages to explore together — because that’s where the magic happens.”
Huntington Children’s Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and children 2 and up, or $2 for those receiving WIC or SNAP benefits.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available, Pelfrey said, with plans in the works for a sensory garden, a story walk connecting the museum to Central City Elementary, arts and cultural exhibits and more. The third annual SandFest, a major fundraiser for the museum, was held Sept. 15. on Marshall’s campus, with tabletop sand sculpture competitions and beach-themed activities for the whole family.
For more information, visit www.hcmkids.org
