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    Family Museum

    Family Museum_03Dedicated to enriching the lives of children, the Family Museum, in Bettendorf, is a playground of wonders. With more than 44,000 square feet of exhibit and program space, the museum lets children discover the world around them through a variety of unique learning experiences.
    Focused primarily on youth ages eight and younger, the museum’s collection includes a number of interactive exhibits. Whether it be the outdoor fun of the “Kingdom for Kids Playground” or the sights and sounds of “Rhythm Alley,” each exhibit offers a new adventure. To keep children engaged, the museum also hosts three to four traveling exhibits each year, with the current exhibit, “Moneyville,” explaining the history and evolution of commerce in a way kids can understand.
    Part of the museum’s permanent exhibits, “Amazing Acres,” lets children learn about agriculture and the connection of food production to the consumer. From “driving” a John Deere combine through the cornfields at harvest time to pumping bio-fuel at the gas station, children discover how agriculture affects us all in a fun and entertaining way.
    To help expand on the local connection of “Amazing Acres,” the museum recently hired two summer interns, funded in part by a grant from Silos & Smokestacks. During their work with the museum, the interns researched the lost onion farming industry in Pleasant Valley and East Bettendorf to create new hands-on activities for the exhibit. Titled “Fun with Onions!” the activity teaches about the tools used in onion farming and explains why the industry left the area.
    One of 16 locations within the Heritage Area where visitors can obtain the National Park Service Passport Cancellation Stamp, the museum is also a great place for children to start their own collections. To learn more about the museum, visit www.familymuseum.org or call (563) 344-4106.

    Topics: Spotlight Site