The Fredericksburg branch of the Children’s Museum of Richmond includes the usual staples parents expect: Children can put on a performance on the Star Bright Stage, create in the art studio and dig and play in the automotive area.
Thanks to Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC), the Fredericksburg Food Co-op, NSWC Federal Credit Union and Cabot Cheese, children can now also interact with fun exhibits that teach them about cooperatives.
The Fredericksburg Cooperative section of the museum officially opened May 3, and children wasted no time exploring their new options. The walls of the new wing set the tone, with words explaining: “Cooperative means working together to achieve a goal,” and “Playing together helps children learn to work together.”
“For the past two years, we’ve worked very closely with the children’s museum to design a space within the museum that would educate the community and the children who visit about cooperatives,” said Casey Hollins, director of Communications and Public Relations at REC.
- At the REC exhibit, boys and girls can climb a miniature utility pole, where they can push a button near the top to make “power lines” light up.
- A Fredericksburg Food Cooperative exhibit allows children to place pretend produce into the bins on a makeshift pickup truck, showing them how food gets from the farm to the farmers market.
- At the NSWC Federal Credit Union display, children can interact with a pretend ATM machine to learn about money.
- And a Cabot Cheese section explains what goes on behind the scenes in the cheese-making process.
- Judging from the smiles on small faces at the grand opening, the Fredericksburg Cooperative exhibit is already a hit!
