I was very happy to be invited to a special event at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Connecticut last week called Kid for a Day. The event was in lieu of the museum’s re-opening after two years of construction and a few months of closure during renovations.
They are re-opening this weekend, and about twenty of us were given a sneak peek at the museum’s new wing. The museum has always been a big part of my own children’s lives, and I was eager to see all the improvements up close. Oh, and of course I wanted to be a kid for the day, who doesn’t?
When I walked in, there were adults sitting on giant bean bags in front of a huge video screen. I got comfy and found out the details for the day. First we learned the basics about the museum’s new structure (pictured on right). We found out that the new wing of the museum features solar panels, a “green” roof, a wind turbine and recycled materials were used during construction. This focus on conservation, reusable materials and energy-themed education extends throughout the museum’s exhibits and programming.
We wondered through the museum’s exhibits including Build It!, Healthyville and Rainforest Adventure, as well as the exciting new exhibit Energy Lab, a futuristic, wet and windy environment that will inspire children to explore and invent while learning about the science of energy and energy sources. My son will surely never leave this area as he has a fascination with how things work. The museum will now also feature the Multimedia Gallery designed to help prepare children for a changing world. 
I have vivid memories of taking my own kids when they were much younger to Tot Town, so I was happy to see that it has been renovated and inspired by the latest research in early childhood development and play and designed to promote literacy for little learners.
Here I am with my small group that I toured the museum with, all of who’s company I enjoyed thoroughly: Laura Giammattei from WEBE, Kathryn Kavicky at Stepping Stones and Mindi Miller at Westchester Family Magazine. We were “kids for a day” together and it was fun..until I had to leave to go to work, anyway. I’m looking forward to bringing my own kids back to the museum soon.
Stepping Stones will open its doors to the public Saturday, November 20 at 10 am. With the newly renovated museum comes new opening days as Stepping Stones will be open 7 days a week from 10 am-5 pm.
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