Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is a cultural institution serving children, families, and schools in the

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. A member of the

Association of Children's Museums The Association of Children's Museums (ACM) is a Washington, D.C.–based organization that represents more than 300 children's museums in 23 countries throughout the world. The association began in 1962 as the American Association of Youth Muse ...

and the

Association of Science and Technology Centers The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is a non-profit, global organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States, that provides professional support for science centers, museums, and related institutions. ASTC's g ...

, Children's Discovery Museum is located in downtown

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, on Woz Way. The street is named after

Steve Wozniak Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname Woz, is an American technology entrepreneur, electrical engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Inc., Apple Computer with ...

, co-founder of

Apple Computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Computer Co ...

, whose nickname is "Woz". Wozniak was the single largest private donor during the original capital campaign that funded the museum.

Overview

The museum opened its doors in 1990, and over 9 million visitors have visited. The purple building was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta, and houses of gallery space as well as a half-acre outdoor nature play space opened in 2017. The museum builds and displays interactive exhibits that responds to

early childhood education Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of Education sciences, education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is ...

. The museum's exhibits, programs and initiatives have received local, regional and national attention. Among its exhibits are a two life size Columbian mammoth replicas, authentic explorable vehicles including a fire engine and a Wells Fargo

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

, and five visual and performing arts spaces. The museum is known for its Cultural Celebrations series highlighting the culture and traditions of the diverse population groups represented in this

majority minority A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population. Ter ...

region. Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose has been ranked by ''

Child A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

'' magazine as one of the top 10 children's museums in the United States and ranked by the '' London Observer'' as one of the top 5 science centers in the world.

Exhibits and programs

File:Water display at children's discovery museum in San Jose, California.JPG , Water vortex File:Tape Scape by Eric Lennartson at children's discovery museum in San Jose, California.JPG , Eric Lennartson's ''Tape Scape'' File:Mammoth skeleton display at Children's discovery museum in San Jose, California.JPG , A

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

skeleton File:Stagecoach at Children's Discovery Museum.jpg , A Wells-Fargo stagecoach Children's Discovery Museum hosts exhibits, programs and events for families with for children age 10 and under that emphasize hands-on, experience- and

inquiry-based learning Inquiry-based learning (also spelled as enquiry-based learning in British English) is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teach ...

. Exhibits include ''Bill's Backyard: Bridge to Nature'', a half-acre outdoor nature exploration space; ''Mammoth Discovery!'' an exhibit about

paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

, and the

scientific method The scientific method is an Empirical evidence, empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and ...

; and ''Waterways'', where children engage in water play and observe

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

principles by interacting with a water

vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex (: vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in th ...

, observing

laminar flow Laminar flow () is the property of fluid particles in fluid dynamics to follow smooth paths in layers, with each layer moving smoothly past the adjacent layers with little or no mixing. At low velocities, the fluid tends to flow without lateral m ...

in action, and experiencing

fluid pressure In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that may continuously move and deform (''flow'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are substances which cannot r ...

and flow. Noteworthy programs of the museum include a

Cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

Celebrations series; performances by local arts organizations; and events highlighting healthy nutrition and physical activities. Programs in the community include BioSITE, environmental education in partnership with local schools; Youth Programs which reach children after school and during summers; and a partnership with Educare

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

that combines exhibit installations and classes for children and parents. The museum's Legacy for Children fundraising event has honored notables including Mr. Rogers, Dr. Seuss, Kristi Yamaguchi,

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts V ...

Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, food writer, and author. In 1971, she opened Chez Panisse, a restaurant in Berkeley, California, famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for ...

, Ronnie Lott, Sonia Manzano, and Ruby Bridges.

Discovery Youth

Discovery Youth is a program where youth from grades 5 to 12 have fun learning and helping in the museum. They do many projects in computers with programs like Photoshop, Premiere Elements, Flash Creator and many more donated by the Adobe company. They make fun little arts and crafts in the museum on Saturday from 10am to 1pm for the museum visitors. They even have their own website

BioSITE

BioSITE was launched by the museum in 1993 as a unique "action-science" education program. Currently the program engages 1,500 students each school year in the importance of environmental responsibility and inspires the love of science through authentic field research conducted biweekly in the Guadalupe Watershed. This program is intended to take science learning out of the classroom and moves it into the real world. The students are given the experiences of biologists, conducting research along the river. Their research is monitored at the Coyote Creek Ranger Station.

References

External links