Inside the Creative Halls of Lewisburg's Playful Children’s Museum

Step into a world where grocery stores, doctor’s offices, and agricultural exhibits open the door to playful learning for young minds. Discover the thought process behind these interactive spaces at the Lewisburg Children's Museum, and explore the exciting collaborations with local universities and organizations like the NISE Network that make them possible.

Join us as we chat with Mary Beth Harris, the Executive Director of the Lewisburg Children's Museum, and Michelle Heinzelman, the Director of Education who made the leap from high school teaching to the playful realm of informal learning. Together, they share their unique journeys and the museum's story of resilience through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tune in to learn about Messy Monday, a sensory extravaganza for kids, and the creative community collaborations that bring the museum to life. Discover the vibrant world behind the Lewisburg Children's Museum’s doors, where fun and education blend seamlessly.

From the Sun Earth Universe exhibit to the Passport to the World program, you'll get an insider's look into the innovative programs that captivate young minds. Hear about the museum's special events, and learn about the dedicated college students from Bucknell and Susquehanna University who help make it all possible.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or simply curious, this episode promises to inspire you with tales of creativity, community support, and the sheer joy of learning through play.

Check out the museum's webpage and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

You can watch the interview on YouTube. 

I had the joy of partnering with the Lewisburg Children's Museum to offer professional development for regional teachers, as well as STEM/literacy linked programs for its youngest patrons. If you'd like to learn how to book a similar partnership, reach out to diane@drdianeadventures.com

Transcript

[00:01] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: So welcome to the Adventures in Learning podcast. I am so excited to be bringing you all this podcast today. I had the honor of working at this beautiful museum in Pennsylvania where the staff is delightful. The exhibits are so kid friendly and so joyful. And the Lewisburg Children's Museum is just a gift in Pennsylvania. So if you get a chance, you need to go. And today you get to talk to Mary Beth Harris and Michelle Heintzelman, who are two of the amazing staff who make all the magic happen. Welcome to the show Wonder curiosity, connection. Where will your adventures take you? I'm Doctor Diane and thank you for joining me on today's episode of Adventures in Learning.

[00:52] Mary Beth Harris: Thanks for having us.

[00:54] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: So I had the fortune of getting to look at your beautiful museum about a week ago, I guess. How did you both wind up in the museum world?

[01:05] Mary Beth Harris: You want to go first?

[01:06] Michelle Heintzelman: Sure. I ended up at the Louisburg Children's Museum a year and a half ago after twelve and a half years in public education as a high school math and special education teacher. So the age group jump has been pretty big. But I'm really enjoying using my educational background in an informal setting through the programming that we offer here at the museum.

[01:33] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Okay. And Mary Beth.

[01:35] Michelle Heintzelman: Yeah.

[01:35] Mary Beth Harris: So my story is a little bit longer. So my background is actually in nonprofits and fundraising. And when we moved to Pennsylvania seven years ago, I decided I was going to take a motherhood break. But I was still really like, I wanted to use that nonprofit fundraising side of my brain even though I was staying home with my boys. And very early on I got pulled into the museum. They had just launched a few months before I moved here. And so the board pulled me into informal meetings about fundraising first, and then very quickly I became a member of the board. And then I was on the board for about four and a half years. And last summer our former executive director left for a new position and the board was like, oh, Mary Beth, come step in for a little while is interim. And I really wasn't planning to go back to work at that time, but I, the longer I was here, the more I fell in love with the museum. And I had always come with my boys when they were growing up. And so I was very familiar with the museum. And having sat on the board, I was very happy to kind of, the longer I was here some more, I was like, you know what? I think I'm going to stay like a really fun job and a really unique place to really make a difference.

[03:08] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Well, and you just hit on something that my museum brain is going, how did you guys do this? It's a brand new museum. I mean, you've celebrated, what, your fifth or 7th birthday?

[03:19] Mary Beth Harris: So they opened in the fall of 2017, and they were not open. We weren't open three years whenever Covid hit. So really a brand new museum. And honestly, sitting on the board through that period and then being the director, kind of on the other side of it, it's almost like a relaunch, if you know what I mean.

[03:42] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Yeah.

[03:43] Mary Beth Harris: Because we were just kind of beginning to think outside of launch phase whenever Covid hit. So it's really exciting time to be at the museum because I think we're really beginning to look at, like, okay, long term, what do we want five years from now, ten years from now, and being able to dream.

[04:03] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: So you've had to make that stretch through Covid. You've had to start up a brand new museum. What are some of the things that sort of went into that initial planning? And then where do you guys see yourself taking this 510 20 years from now?

[04:18] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah. So I think the most exciting thing for me is that because we've been open for seven years, we're really at a place where a lot of our original sponsors are wanting to talk about renewing a sponsorship or doing something new and different. And so having those conversations at this point and knowing that we've kind of survived the worst thing that could ever happen to, like, a hands on child facility, it's really freeing. But it's also really exciting to be able to dream with those sponsors and donors of, okay, what's working in the museum, what could we change? What could we make new and exciting? And I think the other piece of it is really being able to take a step back and say, okay, we've been doing programming for five plus years now. What has worked? What hasn't worked? What do we want to expand into? So, yeah, it's a really exciting time to be at the museum.

[05:22] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And, Michelle, I know that you share sort of that love of informal education. What have been some of the big joys of your job, because you're working now with, really preschool through elementary school aged kids, is that correct?

[05:35] Michelle Heintzelman: Yes. Yes. It's a big shift from teaching high school math and special ed for so long. But I do really like the younger age group a lot, too. I think the biggest, like, new program, really, that I want to take the most ownership and credit for is probably messy Monday. So every Monday from ten to eleven, we set up some sort of sensory experience that, like, the kids are probably only going to be interested in for five or ten minutes. And, like, moms, dads, and caregivers aren't going to want the setup and the cleanup at home. So it's a really great way to get their kids those sensory experiences. But the cleanup up is all in the museum. So we've done some really cool things there. The water table is always a favorite, but we make oobleck, we go outside and make mud paint and all sorts of things. So that one has been really cool. And you get some of the same kids every week. And so when they start to, like, recognize you and look forward to it and they're happy to be there every Monday, that part is really rewarding, too.

[06:41] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah, we definitely have members who come every Monday specifically for messy Monday. And I really think that messy Monday is a really great example of where the museum can really step into in terms of informal education. You know, there's a lot of parents out there who do have resources or the capacity to, you know, create these great educational spaces within their homes. But I think it's really important to remember that that doesn't happen in every home around us, that either the family may not have the resources for all of the special stem stuff, or they may not have the time or capacity to be able to do all of those special experiments and projects. And so the museum is really a place where I view it as a really unique place because it's not a separate place for kids. It's a place where families and kids come together to learn and that we have the capacity and the facilities and the technology and the equipment that really expands upon what kids are. If they're doing school or they're doing preschool, it may expand upon that, or it may be the only opportunity they have to do some of these extra activities.

[08:06] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And how are you partnering with teachers and the community to be able to reach these families, the ones who maybe don't have the resources or the capacity?

[08:16] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah. So we have a fairly extensive outreach program. If you want to talk a little bit about our outreach program.

[08:21] Michelle Heintzelman: Sure. In the summertime, we go to multiple libraries across the five county area sponsored by the United Way, and we do outreach programming at all of those libraries. We also have a pretty strong relationship with the Seal and Grove Rec and the Donald Peter center in Lewisburg, where there we can offer some after school and summer camp opportunities for kids who are a little bit older. We take, like, the Lego kits and have Lego Club at Donald Heater, but we also attend all of the Lewisburg downtown festivals and a lot of the downtown festivals, even in, like, sealed Grove and the surrounding area. So we do try to be out in the community as much as we can so that people learn about the museum and get a taste of what we can offer. Obviously, the programming we take out of the museum is a little different than what we can offer when we're right in the museum itself, but we do try to keep a pretty full outreach calendar.

[09:16] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah, and the other way that we really partner with schools is through field trips. And so we have a pretty robust field trip schedule. We have a day a week that's reserved for field trips exclusively at the museum. And then we've also. We've gone through the entire museum, and we have educator guides that line up with the state standards of, when you're in this room, here are some of the things that your kids are going to be experiencing or learning that are going to line up with those Pennsylvania state standards that are really beneficial for teachers whenever they're justifying going on that field trip.

[09:54] Michelle Heintzelman: We also try to focus a lot on making it accessible to everybody. So once a month, we have sensory friendly family night, and that allows us to keep the museum open after hours. And we, like, turn some of the lights down, turn the sounds down. People do register. Just, we can keep the crowd at a manageable number, but it is free to attend. And that allows our friends with some additional sensory needs to still be able to come and enjoy what the museum has to offer without the overstimulation of normal operating hours. Yeah.

[10:26] Mary Beth Harris: And just hearing the feedback from parents of that specific event has been really just almost heartwarming that, you know, they are so grateful for the opportunity to come to a space where it is reserved for their child that maybe has sensory issues or other needs that and everybody else who's here at that time is in the same boat. And so it's. It's a good practice to being out in a public space, but in kind of a safe public space. And so, you know, one parent talked about, like, the fact that, like, her child went to the bathroom in our bathroom for the first time in kind of a public space. And that was a huge win for them.

[11:09] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And I think you just raised a really interesting point in that the wins for families may not be the things that we would necessarily be checking off as we're talking to funders or, you know, telling our story to the public that they're very intimate, I. Things that are part of their family life, but you're setting the stage in a safe place for them to explore. Together. And I think that that's important, too. Let's shift a little and talk about informal education and learning through play. How would you define that? What is it and what is its role in the museum?

[11:42] Mary Beth Harris: That's a really great question. You know, I think having two boys with my own, like, they are constantly learning and reinforcing what they're learning through play. So I'll give you a good example that relates, actually, to the museum. So my boys actually attended one of our summer camps earlier this summer. That was time traveler camp. And they have, like, for the past month since the camp happened, they have incorporated things that they learned in that camp into their play. And even in the car ride this morning, we were having a conversation about hieroglyphics. Because of the playful learning that they encountered at the museum camp, they've now, like, we were having a conversation about the Rosetta Stone and how important the Rosetta Stone was. And so I really think that the more opportunities children have to kind of experience the world in a way that is fun and engaging and kind of sticks with them and then having them have opportunities that allow them to reinforce that through their own creativity and their own play is really beneficial in the long term.

[13:02] Michelle Heintzelman: Yeah. And for some of our younger friends, like in messy Monday, I think the focus is much more on process than outcome. Like, we want them to enjoy making the mess. We're not necessarily worried about an end result or an outcome, focusing on just processing and experiences and that side of education instead of like a right, wrong or a desired outcome.

[13:27] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah, because, I mean, there's so much when you're a small child that, like, don't do this, don't do that. Like, stay in a line. Like, and those things are needed. But it's also really beneficial for kids to be able to be an exploit at a place where they're leading and theyre directing kind of whats happening and what the play is like. And so I think messy Monday is another really good example of that.

[13:50] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Well, and I noticed as I was going through the museum with you all last week that youve created these opportunities for risky play in the best possible way, that youve got these rooms that are themed and everything goes together, but then theyve got the opportunity to drive their crazy coupes through the hallways following a line, and they can explore going from space to space. And I liked sort of that balance between safety and coming out of your comfort zone. How much intentionality went into planning things like that.

[14:26] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah, that's a really great question. I mean, I was not a part of the founding team, and Michelle wasn't either. But I know that whenever. So we're actually located in an old high school. And when the old high school moved out, our co founders really wanted the museum to be the museum to come into being because they wanted something educational in this building. And so we occupy a small part of the old high school. But I know that just having talked to guests and visitors to the museum, kind of that separate classroom and, like, the connecting hallway of the roadway is actually really beneficial for kind of keeping kids moving throughout the museum, but also not losing track of them. Like, if you come with three kids, you can say, okay, we're going to play in this room. And I think that it allows kind of that contained exploration, if that makes sense.

[15:23] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And you've got sort of everything from the garden, well, the farm market and sort of the grocery store to outer space. Are there new themes coming in? Do the themes change up? How do you decide what each room is going to be in terms of play and creativity?

[15:43] Mary Beth Harris: Yeah, I mean, I would say right now I have a long list of, like, things in my head that I'm like, oh, we could do this or we could do that. What if we did this? I would say a lot of what came into being in the original museum was looking at our local community and seeing what is close to children that we want them to be able to kind of enter into an adult world and experience. So we have one room that is very bodied and medical focused. So we have a little doctor's office where kids can pretend to be the doctor. There's a digestive system that they can crawl through. We have one room that is a grocery store. It's a wise grocery store. Wise is our local grocery store chain, and they have made it a wise grocery store. It looks like a wise store whenever you go in and being had a scanner, yes. Oh, no. We have two registers that are actual working registers through wise that they can scan everything and it comes up. So. And then our main exhibit really is about highlighting a lot of the agricultural aspects of our local area. So we have a play cafe. We have a farmer's market. We have a silo. We're working on a new exhibit that hopefully we'll be able to announce later this year. And then, you know, we're really fortunate to be able to have this really amazing exhibit through the Nice network, which is the national informal STEM education Network. And that's our Sun Earth universe exhibit. And so we're really excited about that. It's a really good fit for the space and for the room. And we see a lot of parents kind of sitting there also doing the exhibit with their kids. So that's kind of the dream is parents interacting with their kids while in the same space.

[17:44] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: I mean, and that's sort of what good informal education does, is it's not just for the kids. You're providing opportunities for the families to engage as well. And I love the fact that you're engaging in all of these partnerships. You know, Nizenet was always a favorite for me when I was in the museum world. I love the collaboration and the way that they put together hands on learning. But you guys also had something really cool going on with college students. How are you collaborating with your local college to be able to support and enhance what you do?

[18:18] Michelle Heintzelman: Yeah, having Bucknell in our backyard and then having Susquehanna University, like, just down the road is really beneficial to us. The college kids are great in terms of helping with staffing needs and programming and outreach. We use every avenue possible to get them to. To volunteer at the museum or, like, get paid through work study. We have some college interns that help out. And then we also use AmeriCorps during the summertime to get a student through that program to help run all of our summer camps and things like that. When our normal college helpers are all home on summer break.

[18:56] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: That's amazing.

[18:57] Michelle Heintzelman: But, yeah, we probably have twelve to 15, like, regular college workers or volunteers who are with us.

[19:06] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: That's kind of extraordinary. And a model for other museums. That's very cool.

[19:11] Mary Beth Harris: We also do a lot with student groups as well, like, so we have a big event in the fall called munchkins and pumpkins, which is always right around Halloween. And so everybody comes dressed up, but we have all of these kind of spooky themed STEM activities throughout the museum, and we have college volunteers that help out with that event. And then we also have student groups that come and are like, oh, we wanna do a program. And so we partner with the student.

[19:42] Michelle Heintzelman: Engineering board, the Society of Women Engineers, student government athletics, and they're the foreign language teaching assistant. Help us run a really cool, like, passport to the world program in the spring.

[19:56] Mary Beth Harris: So wasn't there another, like, future?

[19:59] Michelle Heintzelman: Oh, yeah, there is a biomedical or something. Yeah.

[20:03] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: So cool. So you've really run the gamut on everything in terms of students as volunteers, but also students as program leaders. Yes, I love that. So if I'm a parent or a family member and I'm thinking about coming to the museum, but maybe I'm a little anxious. I worried about how my kid's gonna behave. I'm worried, you know, am I gonna get my money's worth? What would you tell that parenthood?

[20:31] Mary Beth Harris: I would say your child's going to have, if your child likes playing, they're going to have fun. In the museum, I often talk to parents who are like, oh, I have a three year old. Like, are they too young to come? And I'm like, no, your three year old is like, the perfect age to come. Generally, what we tell parents is if they are walking, they are probably going to have fun and find activities in the museum that they're going to enjoy. And that goes all the way up to, you know, nine and ten year olds who are coming to the museum to play. I think it depends on the kid, on kind of the upper end age range of how much they enjoy playing and if they have younger siblings that are going to engage with them while they're here. But, yeah, I think, you know, I think it is rare that we have a guest who is unhappy with the experience. Experience. And I think that it is, you know, it's a fun place to spend an afternoon, it's a morning. Or we have some guests who come all day. They leave for lunch and come back. So I really think that, on the whole, most people are very, very engaged and very satisfied with the museum.

[21:44] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Well, it's definitely a joyful place. So last question I kind of want to ask you today is what are some of the things that people can expect coming up in terms of cool things that are happening at the museum this fall?

[22:02] Michelle Heintzelman: So we have the return of some programs that have been new within the past year or so. I think the one I'm probably looking forward to the most is called art adventures, where we partner with the same art museum at Bucknell, and the kids get to sit right in the museum space and learn about the art and then create their own. So we'll offer that as like, a kind of an outreach program, but it's really more of, like a class that they'll register for ahead of time. But the two coming up, the soonest, I guess, would be our Dino day expo. So we're going to have a day all about dinosaurs on August 3, and then on August 22, I think that Thursday. Yep, is our bubble bonanza. So when all the older kids go back to school, we celebrate the first day of school with just a bubble party outside.

[22:53] Mary Beth Harris: Bubble machine. Bubble activities, like Michelle usually goes home and showers afterwards because she's covered in bubbles everywhere.

[23:03] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Yes, that sounds exciting. And so if people are planning a trip, they should definitely look at coming to see you all this August. And I'm guessing there are all kinds of amazing events that are going on through the fall. Where would they find more information?

[23:19] Mary Beth Harris: So the website is lewisburgchildrensmuseum.org, or you can find us on our facebook page, which is also Lewisburg Children's museum.

[23:29] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And you guys also have Instagram, is that right?

[23:31] Mary Beth Harris: You do? We have an Instagram as well.

[23:33] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: And I suggest following them because I'm always in museum envy, wanting to go and play. They always have something going on. Like, honestly, I don't think there's a week that you aren't busy doing something really fun. So then, last question. I said the other one was the last question, but we're not going to leave it with that. Here's the reason.

[23:53] Mary Beth Harris: It's okay.

[23:54] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: One more question. What do you do to play? What's the best part of your job? What do you do to play?

[24:05] Michelle Heintzelman: I'm again going to default to messy Monday. So we actually rebranded that to messy Monday when we both started. And there was a meeting one day where Mary Beth was like, please take this the right way, Michelle, but you're really good at making a mess. I love messy Monday. Like, it's not like we set it up and I'm off to the side. Like, I am right in the slime and the mud with all the kids, too. Just like she said at bubble Bonanza, I'm usually sudsy bubbles head to toe. So I really enjoy just participating in the programs that we plan.

[24:43] Mary Beth Harris: Yes. Well, I have to add one thing to that. So we recently had an outreach event, and the activity was like a soapy car wash in our sensory table. And one of the museum assistants who was there manning it, she's like, Michelle planned this, didn't she? Like, this feels very Michelle like activity. But, yeah, so we love Michelle for that reason. But I would say I have the benefit of having two kids who are still fairly young, and so they are always kind of encouraging me to play legos or build with magnetiles or. We're very much in the builder phase of childhood right now in my house. So we have a lot of construction going on in the various kids. And so that's probably the place that I experience the most play on a week to week basis.

[25:35] Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor: Well, Michelle and Mary Beth, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. And, folks, do yourself a favor. If you are driving anywhere near Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, go visit the Lewisburg Children's Museum. It's a real gem. Are you looking for a really cool partnership that will bring the spark of joy and learning to your community? Check out the work that Doctor Diane has done with libraries, children's museums, and school districts around the country. Let's explore a connection that provides professional development for local educators and your staff that includes hands on STEM and literacy programs for the kids. And we can also develop options for family themed programs as well. If you're interested, email diane@drdianadventures.com to learn more about booking your partnership program. Let's make magic together. This year you've been listening to the Adventures in Learning podcast with your host, Doctor Diane. If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, download and let us know what you think. And please tell a friend. If you want the full show notes and the pictures, please go to drdianadventures.com. we look forward to you joining us on our next adventure.