DuPage Children's Museum is bringing the magic of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to the Chicagoland area with the opening of a new exhibit, How People Make Things, on Monday, January 20. Inspired by the factory tour segments from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood television series, the exhibit tells the story of how familiar childhood objects are made and how people, ideas, and technology transform raw materials into finished products.
How People Make Things offers hands-on activities using real factory tools and machines to create objects using four manufacturing processes – molding, cutting, deforming, and assembly. Visitors can use a die cutter to make a box and a horse, cut wax using different sculpting tools and experience 3-dimensional cutting by hand, deform a wire by taking a straight wire into a spring shape by winding it around the metal shaft, mold spoons using real melted wax, assemble a trolley and test your skills on the testing track, and see Fred Rogers visit real manufacturing factories in vintage Picture Picture videos from the original Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Series.
“How People Make Things provides interactive learning experiences that stimulate curiosity, creativity, thinking, and problem solving in young children,” said Andrea Wiles, President & CEO, DuPage Children's Museum. “By bringing the manufacturing process to life, this exhibit gives children of all ages the opportunity to learn about and experience many of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts we incorporate into our everyday learning at the Museum.”
An opportunity to play in How People Make Things is the perfect answer to a child's question about where everyday objects, tools, and materials come from. “This exhibit is an incredible mixture of the necessary science and unexpected artistry of manufacturing,” said Thomas Sullivan, Director of Education and Programs, DuPage Children’s Museum. “It's an amazing opportunity for children, their families, and their teachers to interact with exhibits that showcase the practical real-world applications of the STEM content they are learning in school.”
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DCM has created programming that will complement the exhibit. Beginning in February, Museum visitors can “pop-in” for Maker Play on Tuesdays and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. “Maker Play is a fun pop-up experience that will take place in How People Make Things,” Cassie Coffey, Public Programs Manager, DuPage Children’s Museum explains. “Books celebrating creativity, confidence, persistence, and innovation have been carefully curated for story-time, which will launch a hands-on activity that drives imagination and inspires participants to make things.”
How People Make Things was created by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in collaboration with Family Communications, Inc. (FCI), the producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE). The exhibit was made possible with support from the National Science Foundation and The Grable Foundation.
How People Make Things is sponsored locally by USG, The Chamberlain Group, Bulley & Andrews, and Ecolab Foundation.
How People Make Things is open during Museum hours and is included with DCM membership or paid admission. The traveling exhibit will be at DCM through September 6, 2020.
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Renee Miklosik, Director of Development at DCM, rmiklosik@dupagechildrensmuseum.org or 630.637.8000 x2400.
The Museum is located at 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville, Illinois, a quick walk from the Naperville Metra train station. Parking is free and the building is wheelchair accessible. For information, visit dupagechildrens.org, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
