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Children’s Museum at JBLM

Making Memories

In a collaborative effort, the Children's Museum of Tacoma partnered with Boss Display and The Exhibits Team to bring to life several innovative gallery spaces within this unique children's museum. Situated within a military base that is home to thousands of soldiers and their families, the museum offers an engaging environment where guests of all ages can explore scientific principles through interactive play. Key exhibits such as the Innovator Vehicle, Paper Rocket Launcher, Wind Wall, and Water Play provide an immersive and open-ended play experience, fostering creativity and learning in an exciting and dynamic setting.

 
 

Guests can construct their own paper rockets and test out how they fly.

The innovator vehicle is an interactive climbing structure that encourages play and exploration.

Guests can experience massive amounts of wind by activating the levers of the exhibit.

 
 

Open-Ended Exploration

A core principle of the museum's design is empowering guests to explore and learn at their own pace. The Innovator Vehicle play structure exemplifies this approach, offering a versatile and engaging experience. Visitors can access the structure from either side using illuminated ramp sections, encouraging independent exploration. The Innovator Vehicle also includes features such as a toddler-sized slide, integrated air tubes that propel scarves into the air, and a lower-level crawl-through area, all designed to foster curiosity and creativity in young minds.

 
 

LED entry ramps can be used on either side of the exhibit to climb up.

Tubes mounted on the sides of the exhibit send scarves from front to back and whirling through the air.

An underneath crawl through area can be accessed from either side of the exhibit.

 
 

Capturing the Look

As the exhibit fabricator, Boss Display meticulously translated the unique design aesthetic into the fabrication process, ensuring every detail was carefully considered. Drawing inspiration from the surrounding coastal scenery, the exhibit space was designed to evoke the look and feel of undersea forests and tide pools. Water-themed interactives, including the vortex table, water light table, and bubbler exhibit, were crafted with a distinctive coral texture, further enhancing the immersive experience and creating a seamless connection between the exhibits and the coastal environment.

 
 
 
 

One of a Kind

As the first museum of its kind, the Children's Museum offers more than just an opportunity for community engagement; it provides a vast indoor play space, especially valuable for families unaccustomed to the region's weather patterns. Each gallery within the museum is designed to foster imaginative play, seamlessly integrating STEAM-based, hands-on learning experiences. Guests are encouraged to explore, create, invent, and imagine, making the museum a truly unique and enriching experience for both military and local families alike.

 
 

The water vortex table encourages guests to experiment with this phenomenon and watch as object spin to the bottom.

A crank handle can be engaged to inject air into the waterfilled tubes causing massive bubble to erupt.

Features:

  • Rocket Launcher | Children can adjust the angle of the launcher aiming towards the target. When the release button is pressed, the launcher will shoot the paper rocket that children made themselves.

  • Innovator Vehicle | “Spaceship” looking  interactive climbing structure. Children can climb on top or crawl inside the body of the structure. They can also load the air tubes with scarves from one end and come out from the other end of the vehicle.

  • Wind Wall | Lever activated walls of fans that let guests experience large gusts of air. Capes, scarves and other accessories add to the overall experience.

  • Duplo Tide Table | Interactive water table that allows guests to manipulate the flows of water by building duplo blocks onto the table. 

  • Water Light Table | Mixing colored acrylic pieces to create pathways for water flow. 

  • Vortex Table | Interactive water table containing three distinct water vortex interactives. 

  • Bubblers | Users crank a handle to inject air into the water filled tubes creating a bubbling effect. 

  • Magno Wall| Magnetic track pieces can be arranged to transport water down the wall. Guests can test out different pathways to see what is most effective.

 
 

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