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Welcome to the Children’s Museum of
Northern Virginia
A children’s museum is a special place. It’s a place for children
and families to go where play inspires creativity and lifelong
learning. This type of museum is especially committed to serving the
needs and interests of children by providing exhibits and programs
that stimulate curiosity and motivate learning. In the past,
Northern Virginia has never had a children’s museum. That is about
to change. The Children’s Museum of Northern Virginia (CMNOVA) is
coming!
Although CMNOVA does not yet have a brick and mortar building, they
are already working in the community, helping families explore
learning and spark the imagination of their children. Someday the
Children’s Museum of Northern Virginia will be a special place for
children and their families. To reach that end, CMNOVA is hard at
work planning the children’s museum. As an all-volunteer, non-profit
effort, they are busy sharing ideas with the community, developing
exhibits and programs and building strong, local support. Check out
their website at www.cmnova.org
for more information and find out how to get involved in this
exciting venture that will benefit children and families all over
our region.
The Children’s Museum of Northern Virginia will be “hands-on,” or
interactive. All exhibits will emphasize learning through activity.
There will be a vast number of themes – from those where gross motor
skills are emphasized, to multi-sensory and role-playing activities.
Much like programs in other children’s museums around the country,
CMNOVA will extend the museum experience by offering more depth of
learning on a topic, bringing cultural resources to children and
focusing topics to address basic social and educational problems.
As part of this community outreach, CMNOVA will be partnering with
FAMILIES Magazine with a monthly series, “Hands-On Kids!” This fun
activity series featured each month in FAMILIES Magazine will offer
great ideas for family learning. Sometimes the activities will focus
on science, or music, or art but will always feature fun and
learning!
CMNOVA is very proud to partner with FAMILIES Magazine and to have
Brenda Hyde, Publisher of FAMILES, serve on the Board of Directors.
Brenda is a dedicated advocate for children and families in our
region and is extremely supportive of the concept of a new
children’s museum in Northern Virginia. Lifelong learning is a
subject she feels strongly about as well.
Between now and that happy day when CMNOVA opens their physical
doors, CMNOVA wants to begin being a part of the lives of the
children and families living in our region. The “Hands-On Kids!”
regular monthly activities in FAMILIES Magazine will offer a way to
stay in touch, learn about the needs of children and families in our
region and to also, have some fun during the “museum without walls”
phase of CMNOVA.
Each of the activities in “Hands-On Kids!” will give parents, and
the other important adults who help children learn, an understanding
of how the activity impacts a child’s development. We now know how
important learning in the early years is for a child. Fairfax
Futures recently reported the fact that 85% of a child’s intellect,
personality and social skills are developed by age five, while 95%
of public investment in education occurs after children reach age
five. Children’s museums all across the nation are taking notice and
responding to this need by creating wondrous environments for
exploration and discovery for our young children. Places for
learning. Special places.
Learning in an interactive, hands-on environment is the fundamental
style of all children’s museums, and CMNOVA is no exception. Kids
get to poke, twist, touch, move, re-arrange, probe and generally try
it out. That’s a wonderful way for children to learn as well as
develop a “love of learning.”
To find out more about the Children’s Museum of Northern Virginia,
their goals and how you can become involved in the great endeavor,
visit their website at
www.cmnova.org. They will be thrilled to help you find out
about this new and exciting addition to our region.
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