From June 1 to Aug. 30, the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
During the school year, the museum is open to the public on Tuesdays, Friday and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
The Children’s Museum is located at 11 Sheldon Ave. NE in downtown Grand Rapids.
/Justin Mills
An interactive exhibit inspired by Pixar’s 2015 hit “Inside Out” is now open at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum through Sept. 8.
The exhibit, “Emotions at Play,” is designed to engage visitors’ emotional intelligence while presenting the complex impact memories, emotions and imagination have on our character and everyday life.
“This exhibit provides that opportunity for our community to come together and start having these conversations,” said Grand Rapids Children's Museum CEO Maggie Lancaster. “Learning about emotions is critical during early childhood in order for children to develop social-emotional skills. Children experience complex emotions, just like adults. Exploring emotions is something that is important for families to do together in order to build connections, trust and empathy.”
The exhibit features the five core emotions featured in the film: joy, sadness, anger, disgust and fear. Visitors will explore the film's memorable settings like Headquarters, Dream Productions and the Train of Thought, while getting their hands on memory spheres and the control panel itself.
"Emotions at Play" is the first interactive exhibit based on the film, originally developed by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios. The exhibit is made possible locally in part through grant funding from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with media support from Outfront Media.
“Inside Out” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture at the 2016 Oscars and earned a whopping $859 million at the worldwide box office. However, the film was recently dwarfed this summer by the long-awaited follow-up, “Inside Out 2,” which is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time earning $1.5 billion worldwide.
The museum has continued its Museum For All program this summer, allowing EBT/WIC cardholders to access a lower entry rate of $1.75 per person for up to twelve people.
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