It is a happy talent to know how to play
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
I am so proud right now.
I recently had the opportunity to conceptualize and fabricate another project with my local children’s museum — a complete toddler room that we designed for their “grand re-opening.” The museum has recently moved to a new location and wanted to reveal a special zone for their youngest visitors when they re-opened.
Because the museum also just underwent re-branding, we thought the toddler room would be an ideal place to feature the bold, bright colors & shapes of the new logo and brand.
The overall room design went through many iterations and adjustments. Believe it or not, it’s been a long time since I was a toddler myself, and sometimes it’s just hard to know what children will enjoy and how they will react to what we create.
Will they instinctively know what to do with the plastic balls? Will they want to explore what’s on the other side of the hill? Will they feel intimidated by the climbing holds or be challenged by them? Even diligent attention to child development theory can’t always predict these things!
Well, after several busy days in residence to install the new exhibit/room, I just stopped by the grand re-opening with fingers crossed, to see how the children and caregivers were interacting with what we had created.
They were interacting with the exhibit EXACTLY as I had envisioned it in my head!
The children brought static objects to life through just the magic of their imaginations. It was so cool to watch their play and discovery.
Watching the children play reminded me (again) why I do what I do and that I have a pretty rad job.
It can be a grind at times, but seeing a toddler with a huge smile on their face enjoying an environment that the team and I created cannot be beat.
Thanks again to the staff of the museum for trusting me with their vision.
The whole project was a good reminder to me that success comes from giving the process the time it deserves, exercising my mind, not fearing the unknown, going with the flow, working within budget, and collaborating with good humans.
And sometimes it doesn’t hurt to crawl around on the floor a bit, to channel your inner toddler.
