Woodlands Children's Museum, a playful paradise for kids

Kids play chef and delight in whipping up imaginary cuisine at the The Woodlands Children's Museum.

If you're looking for a place where your children can enjoy healthy, unplugged fun, it's well worth taking a drive to The Woodlands Children's Museum. Sure, tablets and video games entertain the kiddos while giving parents time to juggle other parts of life, but research indicates that too much screen time can adversely affect a child's cognitive development.

The Woodlands Children's Museum's mission is to "provide opportunities to educate, empower and excite children and their families through play," said Executive Director Angela Colton. Unlike many modern children's museums, Colton's center emphasizes analog forms of play that help develop cognitive processes and strengthen fine motor skills.

"There's no technology in our museum," said Colton. "It's all very hands-on; there's dress-up, make-believe and art-making. Play is an essential vitamin for children."

"As a parent, I love that the children can play safely and creatively in various sections like the supermarket, the fire station and farm house," said Simon Yap, whose Instagram page Boys in The Woodlands shares family-friendly finds in the area.

"The museum offers a great combination of imaginative play, learning and creativity, plus celebrates cultural festivities from across the globe. We always enjoy the Chinese New Year dragon dance," said Yap. "Having lived in Asia for 12 years and being of Chinese ethnicity, it's nice to expose our children to some of their heritage and it's the only place in The Woodlands that does this as far as I'm aware."

If you've never taken the kids to The Woodlands Children's Museum, keep reading to discover how this wall-to-wall interactive museum captivates and educates young minds.

The Woodlands Children's Museum is becoming more well-known beyond its award-winning, family-friendly planned community as a nurturing and safe environment for kids primarily age six and younger. The relatively compact 7,000-square-foot space in the Panther Creek Shopping Center features 15 exploration areas attracting about 60,000 visitors per year.

Colton and her staff have learned to think like children. "Every day we focus on how we can make a difference in a child's life today."

A child creates a unique masterpiece during an arts and crafts activity at The Woodlands Children's Museum.

Exploring the sense of touch is vital to child development, and the museum uses hundreds of things that don't involve touch screens and controllers. Colton explained that the museum encourages family members to read physical books, finding pleasure in turning pages, and to write and draw on real paper instead of tablets. "Tactile experiences help fuel the imagination," Colton added. Additionally, children can climb aboard a fire truck and pick-up truck and use the steering wheels, foot pedals and dashboard controls.

At the art center dubbed The Muse, educators guide children in observing works by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Klimt, Monet, Renoir and Mary Cassatt, followed by projects from printmaking and sculpting to punching holes for threading with pipe cleaners. The emphasis is on the process of art-making rather than the result.

The Yap family enjoys a Chinese New Year Lion Dance at The Woodlands Children's Museum

Through events such as Lunar New Year, complete with lion dancers, children learn to celebrate other cultures. Each of the "lions," for which one dancer sits atop another, dance to steel drums. One of the museum's practices is to introduce family members to different cultures through art projects, national and international festival celebrations, local author and illustrator visits and other activities.

At the museum's Play Café, children role play and "cook" dishes composed of play food. They can whip up pretend dishes such as Italian pizza, Chinese stir-fry, Japanese sushi and more in the kitchen. "They like serving their creations to parents," said Colton.

A musician entertains children on The Woodlands Children's Museum stage.

"My kids are 7, 5, 3 and 1 and I love that there are activities for all of them. Every time we go, there is a new, creative craft," said Woodlands resident Kristen John. "The changing exhibits are so much fun for the whole family. We always look forward to the special events like puppet shows, animal shows and story time."

Other activities include performances by regional bands, shadow puppet shows (using puppets the kids make) and writing songs about personal experiences and emotions.

Recent museum additions include Play-Along Pavilion, a stage sponsored by The Woodlands-based Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, featuring magicians, marionettes, musicians and dancers. The stage's panels change visually as daylight transitions to dusk.

Michael and Joey Yap enjoying the fire truck at The Woodlands Children's Museum.

"I love the fire engine!" said Joey Yap, 3. "I love the water table where I can fish for all the animals," said Michael Yap, 4. Baby brother Tommy likes the sensory tables.

"I love the museum because they have big blue blocks and I can build anything," said Dean Kistenmacher, 5.

Lauren Gronberg's 5-year-old twins go their own ways at the museum: Diana beelines to the art table to color, paint and make things with glue sticks while Duke likes the fire truck and the LEGO table. "Art projects made by kids have become permanent installations ... making it feel very personal and special," said Gronberg.

Other favorites are the water play and sensory areas and the dig pit, where kids can shovel rubber pellets and dump them into truck beds.

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An in-museum preschool, The Wonderseum, was launched in 2020 for 4-year-olds. The Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool incorporates natural materials and encourages children to help design their own curriculum, combining open-ended projects based on the child's interests and museum learning environments with pre-K skill building. The goal is to inspire a lifelong love of learning and confidence in their own curiosity.

"Wonderseum is the best-kept secret in The Woodlands," said John. And, her kids seem to agree, "I love Wonderseum because my classroom is cool, we make art every day, and I get to play in the museum with all my friends when no one else is there," said John's son Dean, 5.

Find it: The Woodlands Children's Museum, 4775 West Panther Creek Drive #280, The Woodlands, TX 77381; 281-465-0955

This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].