As we start making plans for family fun in the months ahead, the most hands-on place in the state has announced its 2021 line-up of exhibits. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is introducing a number of temporary and permanent exhibits to entertain, educate and enlighten children of all ages.
“Families will enjoy a wide variety of experiences from science with a cast of SUE the T. rex romping under the same roof as Bucky, our own teenage T. rex to cartoons such as DC Super Heroes Dora and Diego, Barbie, and health and fitness in our outdoor sports utopia. And we will open the only exhibit in the world focused on the life of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai,” said Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Continuing throughout 2021 is Barbie You Can Be Anything: The Experience, which explores different careers and shows examples of powerful women who have broken down barriers in their fields, so it’s a very appropriate exhibit to visit as we celebrate Women’s History Month in March.
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On March 6, SUE Meets Bucky will debut, featuring the full-size cast of SUE the T. rex, who you may have met at Chicago’s Field Museum. See SUE alongside Bucky, a teenage T. rex and along with fossils unearthed as part of Mission Jurassic, an international dinosaur dig in the Badlands of Wyoming where a team from the museum has so far excavated more than 15 tons of dinosaur fossils belonging to two 80-foot-long sauropods and an ichthyosaur. Sue will be staying until July 25.
Kids also can have fun among their favorite characters with the Nickelodeon’s Dora and Diego-Let’s Explore exhibit, which opened last month and runs through July 25, and DC Super Heroes: Discover Your Superpowers, opening March 20 and continuing through Sept. 26.
Additions to the permanent exhibit spaces include Mini Masterpieces, which is full of illusions and surprises, and a new baseball area to the outdoor Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. Play Ball! opens April 10 and allows visitors to test baseball skills on an outdoor diamond while learning about the history of Indy’s Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians and other history-making players of America’s pastime.
You can also expect to see some new basketball components. “We’re very excited that Indianapolis will be home to the entire Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament and we will be adding more basketball activities in our Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience,” Patchen said.
One of the biggest highlights this year is an addition to the museum’s The Power of Children exhibit, which focuses on Malala Yousafzai, who fought for the rights of girls to receive an education, first speaking out at the age of 11. At 15 she was shot in the head by the Taliban, but has continued to inspire and empower girls. At age 17, she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She is one of four influential youths that the exhibit celebrates.
“We wanted to have youth throughout the decades who impacted the world in positive ways,” Patchen explained. “Anne Frank, a child of the '40s who hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust; Ruby Bridges, a child of the '60s who was one of the first to integrate schools in the South; and Ryan White, a child of the '80s who contracted HIV/AIDS through tainted blood. Each faced cruelty and yet inspired change.
"When looking for a child of the 2000s, we wanted to find someone who was also courageous and made a positive difference in the world. Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her courage and action in standing up for education for girls and young women.”
As the pandemic continues, great effort continues to be made to provide a safe environment for the whole family to enjoy themselves and enrich their lives. “The health and safety of our staff and visitors is a top priority, so we’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to increase our outdoor air intake, conduct ongoing cleanings throughout the day, make it easy to social distance and require face masks. There are also more than 100 hand sanitation stations conveniently located throughout the museum.”
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest children’s museum with more than 120,000 artifacts and exhibit items and covering 472,000 square feet on five floors. For more information on hours, prices, exhibits and more, visit childrensmuseum.org.