THE GREAT LAKES CHILDRENS MUSEUM

Playing and learning occur simultaneously in GLCM, allowing children to develop the basis for lifelong skills including critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and collaboration.

Some museums curate objects; the Great Lakes Children's Museum curates experiences infused with arts and culture. We have demonstrated the ability to deliver high-quality experiences for people of all ages since opening our doors in 2001.

The basic philosophy is rooted in a Chinese Proverb – “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." Through the museum, teachers and program staff are able to demonstrate the “how" and the “why" of a child's world. GLCM provides programming and hands-on learning via multiple exhibits and among many different subjects, ranging from reinforcing math concepts to anatomy and physiology, physics and geometry, local ecology, geology and navigation, just to name a few. There is something pertaining to each child's classroom's current studies.

For imaginative play and learning, we offer experiences connected to Michigan's rich Great Lakes culture, including a Great Lakes freighter, a USCG helicopter, a rowboat, a sloop, and a lighthouse and keeper's quarters.

A periscope and speaking tubes make it possible for everyone to interact with the entire Museum, including people who use wheelchairs, and our sailing table was designed to be universally accessible.

The Museum presents special, daily hands-on programs. Each program has a different focus and in many cases is offered in the morning and repeated in the afternoon to accommodate busy guests schedules. During Toddler Time, our youngest visitors learn and socialize through developmentally appropriate activities. This is a time for caregivers to learn about a specific developmental stages, followed by a caregiver and child group activity, followed by take home activities to continue to work on the developmental stage.

To date, nearly 500,000 children and their caregivers have experienced the museum's 20 permanent exhibits and ongoing programming. GLCM gives participants an opportunity to explore their world at their own pace, and in their own way. The world for Grand Traverse Bay area children revolves around boating, water and the environment. Logically, our exhibits and programming provide experiential learning about responsible use of water, as well as our caretaker role in preserving, protecting and improving the environment in, around and on the water.

The Great Lakes Children's Museum takes its role as a community resource for all children and families seriously. Participating in community events is central to our organizational philosophy - from community engagement at Friday Night Live to activities in area festivals National Cherry Festival and the Traverse City Film Festival. All of these opportunities broaden the reach of the Museum's mission and to engage children outside our walls.

As collaborative partnerships enhance GLCM’s capacity to deliver services, all populations will benefit – but most importantly – populations most heavily impacted by financial barriers will benefit. Whether through a classroom outreach program, a class field trip with new and improved five-sense lesson reinforcing activities, or through subsidized visits with their adults, ALL children, regardless of income restraints, will have the opportunity to build their own, very unique, foundation for success.

We believe if we continue our hard work and combine our efforts with organizations focused on similar work, that all children and families in the region will have access to life-changing, success-generating, foundational early childhood learning and family strengthening programming for life through the Museum and our partners. This changes the way GLCM carries out its mission by allowing us to develop more impactful programming for MORE of our region’s children and their families.