Located on the third floor of the Discovery Center, the new museum aims to touch upon a diverse range of subjects – from ecology and geography, to anthropology, geology and mathematics that are centered around educating kids.
Offering a variety of exhibits designed to be both fun and educational for pre-adolescent children, exhibits such as the Water Room, the Inclimber and the Mix-Master Studio are likely to impress the kids.
The Water Room exhibits allow kids to splash around and learn about dam-building, municipal plumbing, native fish species, acid rain and more. A climbable structure modeled after Yoder Hill, the Inclimber will include a large slide and a coal mining exhibit in the structure’s interior.
The museum is meant to meet children at various developmental stages, and is best experienced through multiple visits and guidance from curators. Children get a chance to create their own music using the sounds of Johnstown in the Mix-Master Studio. By pressing buttons on the console, music and sounds of industry, home and nature can be created.
The museum also features other exhibits like a general store, in which kids are given a ‘paycheck’ to shop for their needs, a computer-generated fashion show featuring styles from the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s, and a play kitchen for kids to learn about the region’s cultural cuisines.
The Overlook Garden on a rooftop terrace displays Pennsylvania’s native plant life. A steel mill exhibit enables kids to learn about making pattern molds and role-play by being the boss or a mill worker. The City Works exhibits will also be featured for kids to explore the area’s topography and try their hand at city planning.
The museum also features the Morley’s Dog Café, for parents to relax while children explore the museum.
Admission to the museum has been set at $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for students. JAHA members will have free admission to the museum.
