By Hailey Almsted

For two years running, Minnesota Children’s Museum has been a hot spot for Amber, Tyler and their two kids – a daughter (5) and son (2). They have two cats too, although the furbabies stay home when this central Minnesota family makes the trip to the museum.

Amber and Tyler just became members of the museum and are ecstatic to visit more often. These young parents love the museum for many reasons, but here are their top three.

1. Exploring New Exhibits. 
“We love the variety of exhibits and the hands-on experiences our kids can have,” says Amber. “I just love watching our kids explore everything each time we visit.” The traveling exhibits are among the favorites for this family, including the ever-popular Dinosaur Train: The Traveling Exhibit where their daughter loves handing out tickets and learning about dinosaurs.

2. Meeting New Friends. 
Each time the family visits the museum, Amber says her kids don’t have trouble making friends. They’re often found playing with new friends at the giant slide in The Scramble, being postal workers in Our World or creating new, one-of-a-kind projects in The Studio.

3. Discovering New Hobbies. 
In The Studio, Amber’s daughter discovered she absolutely loves to sew. She had never tried it before and really enjoyed making her own pillow. Amber adds, “Play means letting the kids explore and discover things that they’re interested in. Their natural love of learning is expanded by play… It’s the most important ‘work’ kids can do.”

We’re thrilled to have Amber, Tyler and their family as a part of our museum community and cannot wait to see what they’ll discover next.

Amber is a play advocate for the museum. She writes for vivaveltoro.com.

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