Marielle Henderson put on her green apron and began to look through an assortment of fruits and vegetables.
She carefully looked at pears, bananas and tomatoes, before placing them into her shopping cart.
But Henderson wasn’t at the grocery store shopping for food; she was just playing, as she is only 2 years old.
Just a few steps away, she took on the role of a gardener. With a small shovel in hand, she pretended to plant a flower, fully immersed in her imaginative world.
The toddler was one of many children who were able to explore their curiosity and creativity last weekend at the Santa Clarita LEAP (Learn, Experience, Act, Play) Children’s Museum Pop-Up Event.
For a limited time, the immersive experience catering to children and families is set to take place every weekend, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. until July 6. The museum is located on The Patios at the Valencia Town Center and it will be closed on July 4. Tickets are $5.
What Henderson and other children were doing is exactly why the Children’s Museum has made its way to Santa Clarita, to create a place for children to explore and build their confidence and learn through hands-on experience, said Kari McCoy, president of the local nonprofit.
The children “build self-awareness and they can find that learning is for them. Kids at school when they have a passive education, they feel like they may not be a good learner, or they don’t enjoy learning. When they do it through hands-on tactile exploration, they feel more empowered,” McCoy said.
The LEAP Children’s Museum made its debut last year for only one weekend but, due to popular demand, organizers made sure to provide this year’s experience through multiple weekends so children can enjoy the theme of “Healthy Heroes,” which focuses on physical, nutritional and mental health.
Play stations include a dentistry area, a fitness area with mats and weights, a gardening area, and a grocery store area, among others.
“It’s key things that we see kids gravitate to and we expand on it. They might want to play doctor, but we want to show them more than that, so we take that key thing we know kids love and make it more encompassing,” McCoy said.
Families are given an hour and 15-minute time frame, and each day also has a low-sensory session at noon for families who wish to have a quieter session for their little ones.
“Kids her age, because she’s younger, they get overstimulated quickly, so I thought this was a great opportunity for her to be able to enjoy things without being so flustered,” said Henderson’s mother, Ariel, who reserved her tickets for the low-sensory time frame.
“I feel excited because during this time of her life, she’s learning so much and to have a space and opportunity like this, for her hands to be in different spaces such as the dentistry and medical stuff, she can learn more,” Ariel added, as she observed Henderson from a distance go from play station to play station.
Ariel Bunnell brought her 3-year-old toddler Ezra to the quiet hour due to his speech delay, she said.
“He gets overstimulated with sensory, and I just wanted to be on the safe side,” she said as she watched Ezra put on a doctor’s lab coat and play with all the tools set on a table in the dentistry section.
Places like this “help with child development,” she added. “I’ve been in education for eight years and it helps. He’s learning and being intuitive and trying to figure things out.”
Although it’s only here for a limited time, the LEAP Children’s Museum is looking toward having a permanent location in the Santa Clarita Valley very soon, McCoy said, and volunteers including herself take the time to speak with each guest and gain insight on their thoughts.
“It’s low cost, kids are getting to explore in a safe environment where there’s learning occurring and they can explore freely without too much guidance,” she added.
Bunnell expressed the need for a children’s museum in the local area, as she’s taken Ezra to the ones in Pasadena and Sylmar, she said.
“This helps with their development and even socialization and communication. We need to have a museum out here. It’s nice to have one where we locally live,” Bunell added.
To reserve a time and purchase tickets, visit donorbox.org/events/757870/steps/choose_tickets.
