Learning Skills
Where Play Meets Purpose
At The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon, we believe that every moment of play is an opportunity for growth. Our exhibits are thoughtfully designed to align with key developmental milestones, transforming curiosity into competence. From the fine motor precision of a budding artist to the complex problem-solving of a young engineer, explore how our environment supports the essential skills every child needs for a lifelong love of learning.
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Arts and Creativity
The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon provides countless activities for your child to be creative and get their hands messy! Playing with slime, painting to music, and building sandcastles are all wonderful ways for children to engage in process-based creativity. Young children need opportunities to participate in activities that encourage innovation, imagination, and creativity. Painting, building, dramatic play, dancing, singing, and putting on a puppet show are all ways that children can express their creativity at The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon. Creative play provides children with opportunities for experimentation, imagination, and freedom of expression.
Cognitive and Mathematics
Young children practice mathematical skills by exploring the world around them. Whether they are measuring and comparing their height to others, observing patterns in books, or solving problems—like how many blocks are needed to complete a tower—they are learning. While mathematical concepts can feel abstract, providing children with access to materials that explore shape, size, and numerical awareness helps connect those concepts to the real world.
Diversity and Inclusion
All children are unique, special, and amazing! At The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon, we believe that all children are welcome and deserve to see their community represented. When children learn to celebrate uniqueness and value diversity, we create an inclusive space for all children to grow and learn together.
Gross Motor
Many of the exhibits within The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon allow young children to practice skills that develop large muscles in the arms, legs, and torso. When children participate in activities such as walking, climbing, running, kicking, throwing, pedaling, lifting, and jumping, they are developing body awareness, reaction speed, balance, coordination, and strength—skills they will need for sports, physical health, and daily life.
Fine Motor
Many daily activities, like eating, getting dressed, and basic play, require control of the small muscles in the hands. Many of our exhibits provide incredible opportunities for children to build these skills—for example, turning on switches, building with Legos, exploring sensory bins, and using writing utensils. By strengthening these muscles, children become better prepared for writing, using a computer, or playing a musical instrument.
Health and Nutrition
From picking fruits and veggies in the Farm to Table exhibit to preparing them in the Culinary Studio, there are many opportunities for children to learn about health and nutrition. Understanding the importance of taking care of their mind and body is a skill that will benefit a child’s lifelong wellness. Developing a healthy relationship with nutrition, exercise, and mental health practices are all skills that can be nurtured at a young age.
Language and Communication
The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon features over 25 exhibits designed to foster interactions between children and adults. Whether children are pretending to be a cashier in the Farm to Table exhibit or working together to operate the Wind Lab, they are participating in high levels of communication. Here, they test new vocabulary, practice conversational dialogue, and learn how to communicate with people outside of their home.
Literacy
We believe that opportunities for literacy development take place in all areas of learning. Visitors may notice that most exhibits include children’s books and written language related to the theme. By providing children with frequent opportunities to acquire language, recognize print, and build phonological awareness, we are creating lifelong learners.
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Nature Exploration
At The Children's Museum of Southern Oregon, children can engage in countless interactions with the natural world. Through indoor and outdoor exhibits, children do everything from zooming in on leaves through a high-powered microscope to bird watching from a treehouse. Providing hands-on experiences with nature helps develop scientific inquiry skills, problem-solving abilities, and a deeper connection to the world around us.
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STEAM
STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. When children engage in open-ended experiences in these areas, they practice problem-solving, creative thinking, and a better understanding of the world. Our exhibits give children the chance to practice making predictions, collaborating, and asking questions about their environment.
Social and Emotional
Early interactions during the first years of life provide a critical foundation for a child’s social-emotional development. By providing an environment that nurtures a sense of self and opportunities to practice compassion and empathy, children build lifelong skills. Our exhibits provide opportunities to develop trusting relationships with caring adults who model positive self-esteem and interactions. When children feel confident and have a strong sense of worth, they engage more fully in learning and play.
