Little Builders exhibit combines play, physics

Children can play with cranes, giant Legos at new display

RHONDA CHURCHILL/VIEWScott Borden, 8, builds structures with widgets at the Little Builders exhibit at Lied Discovery Children?s Museum, Jan. 30. Advertisement

Learning for small children needs to be a hands-on experience.

That's the idea behind Lied Discovery Children's Museum's newest exhibit, Little Builders.

Tifferney White, the museum's deputy director, said the exhibit is meant for kids between the ages of 2 and 7.

"It's really great to be able to offer something for the younger kids who visit us, and while we already have some great things going on here at the museum, this particular exhibit is geared for the very young kids," she said. "We are happy to be able to offer it."

According to White, Little Builders features tools that are low to the ground and thereby more accessible for young children.

"They get to build with cranes and giant Legos. This exhibit is very cool and very age appropriate," she said.

A similar exhibit, the Keva Exhibit, which targets older children and adults, features building blocks in a nearby area.

"It's smaller, but we wanted something for older kids to do while their younger siblings mull around in the Little Builders area," she said.

Las Vegas resident Joseph Gallagher brought his 3-year-old son Jeremy to a members-only opening of the new exhibit on Jan. 29 and said he couldn't believe how much fun the boy had.

"We come to the museum at least once every month, so he is pretty familiar with everything that is already here. That's why we get so excited when we hear there will be something new. We usually tell him days in advance," Gallagher said.

The interactive exhibit is designed to encourage children to take a hands-on approach to learning about basic concepts in architecture and building, according to White.

"Exhibits like Little Builders are important because they show our children how simple machines work and other physics concepts coupled with a fun, play environment," she said.

Gallagher said his son was drawn to the large, cloth-like building blocks in the exhibit.

"Those seem to be pretty popular," Gallagher said during the exhibit's unveiling. "At first, he just kind of circled near where the other kids already dominated the situation, but once they moved on, he was right there to pick up blocks and he hasn't moved from that spot."

Caroline Marvel, a Las Vegas-area mom who also attended the exhibit's grand opening, said she brought 2-year-old twins Rodney and Harold in hopes of starting a new family tradition.

"Maybe we will come to every opening," she said. "This is a pretty fun environment. My boys are loving the cranes."

According to White, the museum features rotating exhibits throughout the year in an effort to give Las Vegas residents a range of new things to see. Little Builders will run through May 9. Growing Up With the Berenstain Bears is set to arrive March 13 and remain through Sept. 7.

Over the last year, as the economy has started to recover, White said the museum still has seen donations from community businesses and individuals decline.

However, attendance during that same stretch has increased by 117 percent.

White believes that because of the financial strain, many families are choosing to vacation in town and look for fun things to do.

She hopes visiting the museum is at the top of the list.

"We want to give our visitors something new and different every time that they come and see us. That is what keeps kids learning, interested and coming back. If parents know that each time they visit the children's museum their child will be stimulated in different ways, that is more incentive to keep coming back. That is our goal -- to keep kids and parents engaged in learning," White said.

Admission to the museum is $7.50 for kids and $8.50 adults. The museum is located at 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, call 382-3445.

Contact North Las Vegas and Downtown View reporter Amanda Llewellyn at allewellyn@viewnews.com or 380-4535.