The WonderTrek Children’s Museum brought its mobile museum program to the Brainerd Public Library on Wednesday. The program uses “loose parts” so participating children can create and build using their imagination and problem-solving skills.
As part of the program, the children are not given any instructions when attending an event, but can let their imagination run wild.
“When children come to the museum, they definitely want to see what they can do with all the pieces and where their imaginations take them,” says Vanessa Bauer, a WonderTrek Play Lab employee. “We just like to let the children play. We give them the opportunity to solve problems, create new things and use their imagination. That’s what WonderTrek is all about.”
“It’s an invitation to all children, regardless of ability, to play with the materials and create whatever they want,” explained Aimee Tagtmeier, program director at WonderTrek. “Yes, there will be some children who will just jump around. Then there will be other children who will create structures.”
With so many children today fixated on screens, Wondertrek’s Children’s Museum aims to offer an old-fashioned approach to play and encourage the development of relationship-building skills.
“This gives them an opportunity to develop relationships, to build them in such an organic, natural way, the way we’re all meant to as children, which is to learn how to play together,” Bauer explained. “As children, we would go to the park and play and use our imaginations with the things that were available there, and this kind of brings the kids back to that.”
WonderTrek will begin construction next spring on a 2,500-square-foot play lab and five acres of outdoor recreational exhibits. The project has been in the works for several years and those involved are excited.
“I think everyone is really excited because it’s been a long time coming, so it’s been a long process,” Tagtmeier added. “A lot of people have put a lot of work into it, for Region 5 and for our community and for our kids. It’s exciting and really motivating, I think, to see the community support WonderTrek and then also our team and all the work they’re putting into opening this up to our community.”
In addition to the outdoor exhibits and the 2,500-square-foot play lab, construction of which is scheduled to begin next spring, Wondertrek plans to build a 30,000-square-foot facility on the same site. WonderTrek Children’s Museum serves Region 5 in Minnesota, which includes Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties.
