Iowa All Over: Bettendorf museum emphasizes play and interactivity

BETTENDORF — Inside the Family Museum in Bettendorf, the town of Fox Hollow was bustling with action. At Sal's Pizza Parlor, children prepared pizza with all the toppings, as a pizza stone sat waiting in the oven.

Nearby at Harvest Market, a list of the day's specials were on display. The market featured fresh produce, fruits, refrigerated coolers for dairy products and a bakery.

Elsewhere in Fox Hollow, children were at work spraying hoses at the Fox Hollow Fire Department. All these interactive exhibits are part of the main gallery comprising an entire play town at the museum.

The museum is specifically aimed at those with children eight years and under.

The Family Museum was first built in 1997 and more resembled a science center at the time, said Kim Kidwell, its director. In 2012, the museum was gutted, and renovation was completed in late 2013. After brainstorming sessions and meetings with advisory groups, the museum was retooled to focus on social emotional experiences, Kidwell said.

'What we're finding is, a lot of the young parents, they'll come here and say, 'My kid knows all the alphabet and they can count to 25, they're super smart, but they may be lacking in social skills,' Kidwell said.

'That stuff is just as important, if not more important, than the academics. Kids need to understand how other kids are feeling, how to share things, how to have empathy for others kids.

'Those are all skills that are gained from playing, from role playing, from interacting with others kids.'

Before the remodel, the museum averaged 120,000 visitors a year. Since July 2015, the museum has already seen 200,000 visitors so far, Kidwell said. The museum has 2,700 members.

So throughout Fox Hollow and the rest of the museum, exhibits are designed to encourage interaction among children. At the ice cream cart, for example, a child can stand behind the cart and ask the other for his or her order. Then, the server can use a magnetic scoop to pick up the ice cream and place it on the cone. (A hot fudge topping can be added.)

The museum also emphasizes local and regional economics. George's Farm, which connects directly to the market, allows children and parents to work together to move corn through a factory. Eggs also can be collected from the chicken coop. Animals can be groomed in the barn.

'Kids learn so much through role playing and make believe and just the experience, and the interaction with other kids is so valuable,' Kidwell said.

On a recent January afternoon, Allison Thompson and her son Dean, 18 months, were taking advantage of the water table. The two used a pump to build pressure, which then sent a red boat sailing down the table. Each time the boat moved away, Dean smiled in delight.

'We've been coming to the museum now for three and a half years,' said Thompson, of Milan, Ill. 'We love it here. I love what they've done with the remodel. My kids just have the best time here.'

Elsewhere in the museum are classes, a dance studio and a Think Shop, where children can build their own creations.

In one art studio, Aimee Winslow's daughter Mccartney, seven, and son Aiden, five, created a painting using marbles. Winslow's children get out of school early on Wednesdays and spend time at the museum.

'They love all the activities that they have,' said Winslow, of Davenport. 'We always come up and do the art projects first, and then we run downstairs and let them run around and burn off energy.'

If you go

What: Family Museum in Bettendorf

Where: 2900 Learning Campus Dr., Bettendorf

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays

Admission: $7 for ages 2 through 59; $4 for ages 60 and older and one-year-olds. Free to Family Museum members

Call (563) 344-4106 or go to familymuseum.org