The Please Touch Museum is a

children's museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feat ...

located in the Centennial District of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, USA. The museum focuses on teaching

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years old and younger.

History

The museum originally opened at the

Academy of Natural Sciences The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the Americas. It was founded in 1812, by many of the leading natura ...

on October 2, 1976, in a space, and moved to another location on nearby Cherry Street two years later. In 1983, the museum moved to 21st Street near the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

. On February 14, 2005, the museum received an 80-year lease for

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

(in

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, wit ...

), the last major building left from the

1876 Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. This came after plans to relocate the museum to a location at

Penn's Landing Penn's Landing is a waterfront area of Center City Philadelphia along the Delaware River. Its name commemorates the landing of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in 1682. The actual landing site is farther south in Chester, Pennsylvani ...

fell through. Renovations at Memorial Hall began on December 15, 2005, and the museum closed its 21st Street location on September 1, 2008. On October 18, 2008, the museum opened at its current location with a larger facility and more exhibits. The museum's financial projections related to its move to Memorial Hall proved to be over-optimistic and it was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2015. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2016 and, with the help of new major donations, was able to announce that it was now debt-free. In September 2018 the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

introduced their new mascot,

Gritty Gritty is the official mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League (NHL) team. He is a furry orange creature with googly eyes who wears Flyers gear. Gritty has been compared to the Phillie Phanatic, the mascot for the Philadelphi ...

, at a ceremony at the museum.

Exhibits

* Adventure Camp * Centennial Innovations * Cents and Sensibility * Food & Family * Happy Camper * Imagination Playground * Please Touch Garden * River Adventures * Roadside Attractions * Rocket Room * Storytime Cabin * Wonderland * Scale Model of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition

Other

* Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel

Programs

*Playhouse Theater - As a component of the museum experience, Playhouse performances by in-house performers present opportunities for playful learning, imagination, innovation and audience interaction featuring music, movement, folklore and/or puppetry, all while introducing children to live arts. *Creative Arts Studio - Each month, there is a new set of art experiences, which include a studio art experience, a sensory art experience and a manipulative art experience. The Creative Arts Studio provides a setting for parent-child interaction. *Albert M. Greenfield Makerspace - Focused on how kids are creating, not what they are creating, the Makerspace empowers children to think of themselves as an “inventor” and through facilitated and self-directed experiences, discover that learning is found in the process of making, not the end result.

Great Friend to Kids (GFTK) Awards

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 Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experie ...

initiated the Great Friend to Kids Award in 1991, to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

for children. ''National'' Great Friend to Kids Award winners include

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

("Mister Rogers") and

Marian Wright Edelman Marian Wright Edelman (born June 6, 1939) is an American activist for civil rights and children's rights. She is the founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Hillary ...

(president and founder of the

Children's Defense Fund The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on child advocacy and research. It was founded in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman. History The CDF was founded in 1973, citi ...

). In 1996, the Please Touch Museum began presenting its own GFTK award, to coincide with the museum's 20th birthday. The awards honor individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to enriching the lives of children. The 2009 awards were designed by Philadelphia artist Leo Sewell, creator of Please Touch Museum's own "Artie the Elephant" and the Statue of Liberty Arm & Torch created entirely from discarded toys."Please Touch Museum announces winners of the 14th annual 'Great Friend to Kids Awards' "
Phillies press release, September 3, 2009. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved 2009-09-08.

References

External links

*
Please Touch Museum website
{{Authority control Children's museums in Pennsylvania Museums in Philadelphia West Fairmount Park