Richmond Virginia Kid Friendly Activites and Information
Posts tagged Children’s Museum of Richmond
Stay and Learn at CMoR Short Pump
0452 days
I received an email about this program recently and although my kids are not yet old enough to attend, with the upcoming holidays, I would definitely take advantage of it if I could. The Children’s Museum at Short Pump has a fairly new program called Stay and Learn for members aged 2.5-6. It runs every weekday from 9am-Noon. And for all of you non-members out there, this may be the perfect time for you to join. For a limited time you can save $10 on the membership fee when you book your first session.
Since this program is new to me, I went to their website to read up on it a little bit. In each session your child will be able to participate in games, activities, stories and songs. They will have guided play time in the exhibits, ride the train and create artwork. They will even be provided a snack! This sounds perfect for parents who need to do a little holiday shopping without the kids in tow. It gets everyone out of the house and gives the kids something to do, while hopefully wearing them out, so they are ready to nap when you pick them up at noon. (I am assuming of course that nap-time is as important to all other parents as it is to me.) They do require that all children be fully potty trained, so get busy with that! I have taken my kids to CMoR Short Pump before and they loved it. So I am certain that any other kids that enjoyed it as well would not mind spending a few hours playing there while mom and/or dad do other things. I hope the program sticks around so I can take advantage of it when my kids are old enough. Here is the link for more information about the program. http://www.c-mor.org/stayandlearn/faq. One more important thing to note is that there is a discount for multiple children. Enjoy your morning out!
Why We Love CMoR, Part II
0542 days
It took us several months, but we finally made it out to the new Children’s Museum in Short Pump this week. If you haven’t been, it is located right next to Whole Foods on the first floor of one of the many new buildings in the area. I didn’t notice any parking designated for the museum but we easily found a spot on the street nearby. It was already quite busy when we were arrived and the boys were anxious to get out of the stroller and explore. I am thankful that my new mother’s helper/babysitter, found on Sitter City, was along to help because as soon as we put them down they were off in different directions.
Unlike the downtown location, CMoR Short Pump is mostly just one long room filled with exhibits. There is a very small enclosed area for babies and young toddlers, but if your kids are able to climb they can easily get out, so be prepared to get some exercise following them around. We spent a good bit of time playing in the Dig Pit looking for buried treasure. I’m not quite sure what it was filled with but it was not sand and the boys did not like the way that it tasted. Lesson learned. There were lots of new things for them to explore, but their favorites seemed to be the veggie garden, the Merry Berry Bush and the Magic Beanstalk Climber. They really wanted to get in on the Water Play, but the tables were a bit too high for them to do more than reach over and get their hands wet. They also loved the large fish tank near the entrance. And don’t let me forget the Wild Safari Train in the middle of the room. It looked like fun and I assumed that they would love it. They seemed to until a loud lion’s roar scared them to tears. Maybe they are a little too young for the train and they were definitely exhausted at this point. All of the other kids really seemed to love it so we will have to give it another try. I know that my boys enjoyed the visit overall because we had to drag them out of there kicking and screaming. 
I was very pleased with our first visit to the Short Pump CMoR. It was very clean and the exhibits were fun. There were some things that we didn’t even get a chance to explore because we ran out of time, so we will definitely go back again soon. If you already have a membership like we do, you don’t have to pay extra to visit the new location. It’s well worth it if you visit either one as much as we do. Please visit their website and plan a trip soon. www.ChildrensMuseumOfRichmond.org
Why We Love CMoR (Children’s Museum of Richmond)
1634 days
For my boys’ first birthday their Aunt bought them a membership (good for 1 year) to the Children’s Museum of Richmond. What a great gift! We had been before when they were much younger, but now that they are one and walking, it seems that they just enjoy it so much more. In fact, so do I. I love the fact that there is a room specifically for kids 3 and under. As long as everyone adheres to that, you don’t have to worry about older kids running all over the little ones. The area is large and enclosed. I feel very comfortable letting them loose while I sit and watch.
The baby/toddler is called the Little Farm. There are animals to “feed”, eggs to gather and veggies to harvest. My boys have always been huge fans of the vegetable garden. They usually each choose one and then tote it around the room with them until something else grabs their attention. On this last visit they were smitten with what I refer to as the egg drop. Watching the eggs roll down the chutes could entertain them for hours. I intervened after about 20 minutes and suggested that we go fishing.
There’s a small fishing boat on the other side of the room stocked with magnetic fishing poles and little fish. They haven’t quite mastered the art of fishing but it is really fun to watch them try and imitate the older kids. Since my kids are not yet in school and do not go to daycare, this social interaction is great for them. And whether they realize it or not, they are learning how to play well with others. On more than one occasion we have been there at the same time as a small daycare group. The woman in charge of this group only speaks to the kids in Spanish. I love that my kids always seem to migrate over to this group, and I can only hope that they pick up on a few things.
Some other attractions in the Little Farm are the crawling area for infants, a farmers market and a kitchen area. And although we have not ventured outside ourselves this spring, there is an outdoor play area. I am told that during the summer there is some water play for the little ones. I look forward to a warm day to try it out. I must also note that the museum employees are very good about keeping everything clean and disinfected throughout the day.
This is just one small sampling of what the Children’s Museum has to offer. There are plenty of other exhibits for older kids as well. There are also all kinds of classes and summer camps, and you can even rent the party room for birthdays. A new Short Pump location is opening in June. Our membership is good in both locations so I am very excited to check out the new space. For more information please visit their website. www.c-mor.org
