Children's Museum of New Hampshire expanding, marks 40 years of learning through play

DOVER — As it celebrates its 40th anniversary, the Childrens Museum of New Hampshire is most proud of having never wavered from its mission: teaching children that learning can be fun.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire has announced plans for an expansion of the second floor, which will add two new exhibits and better prepare the museum to serve children and families in the future. Jane Bard, museum president, said fundraising for the $420,000 expansion launched this spring, when it was awarded $175,000 in tax credits from the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority.

The additional 1,000 square feet will include a farm-themed exhibit designed for visitors ages birth through 5, plus a second, flexible exhibit that changes multiple times a year providing new experiences and offering opportunities for active play and creative movement, the museum announced.

"The ongoing shortage of childcare and preschool openings continues to challenge families with young children who are seeking in-person socialization and learning experiences," said Bard. "This additional space will enable the museum to expand our current drop-in programs, playgroups, community events and more."

The expansion is the continuation of hands-on exhibits that have delighted children for four decades.

The Children's Museum began in Portsmouth, in 1983, as the Portsmouth Children’s Museum. In 2008, the museum relocated to Dover and became the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire. But one thing has never changed — the mission of children learning through play.

Children's Museum President Jane Bard has been with the museum for 29 years. Education Director Xanthi Gray has been there for 33 years. Together they sat and talked about the evolution of a place where children, parents and grandparents love to visit, a place dedicated to fun and education, for kids of all ages.

"We were in Portsmouth, at the old South Meeting House for 25 years," Bard said. "We simply outgrew the space. In 4,000 square feet, we were hosting 70,000 visitors a year. We made efforts to stay in Portsmouth, but when it didn't pan out, Dover brought us an offer."

Children's Museum's opening at South Meeting House in Portsmouth

The museum opened July 30, 1983, in South Meeting House (erected in 1863) in Portsmouth and play through learning began. In a Portsmouth Herald article from June 1999, it was touted as “fun for all ages” and includes a quote from Gray (then exhibits director). “The whole idea of the museum is, of course, to be fun and intriguing. But also, to learn something without even noticing it. It’s our hidden agenda.”

Even back in 1983, when the Children’s Museum of Portsmouth opened – some of the original exhibits featured technology (The Computer Center featuring “educational computer games”, WFUN Radio which was a broadcasting station with records and mics, and WFUN TV where kids could be actors, script writers or camera operators.)

Museum moves to Dover in 2008

The move came in 2008, after the city of Dover offered the old Butterfield Gym, the former home of the city's recreation department.

"They gave us the same lease as we had in Portsmouth, $1 a year," Bard said. "For that we were to renovate the space and improve it, on a 60-year lease. We raised $3.5 million through fundraisers and did that. We are now a silver LEED certified space. We have all LED lighting and solar panels. We are about as green as you can get. We have more space, offer more programs and are looking forward to a long future."

And Dover is thrilled to have the museum, in part because it is a great addition, but the museum also bring families to the downtown area.

"The Children's Museum of New Hampshire is an anchor for Dover's visitor industry," said Margaret Joyce, president of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce. "Along with the Woodman Musuem and the Strand, the Children's Museum attracts visitors to Dover who spend money in our community, which benefits our local economy. The programming that the museum offers engages children's curiosity, setting them on a path of lifelong learning."

Bard said they were doing education through play as a concept before it was in vogue, before the New Hampshire Department of Education declared, in 2018, that all kindergarten students should be taught using a play-based curriculum.

"We have become the champions of that concept," said Bard. "We have become a resource to early childhood educators. We host open houses and workshops to help develop curriculum and we love this."

COVID and crisis in childcare

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world basically shut down, Bard said the museum staff rallied and offered all the help they could.

"Everything was locked down, including us," she said. "COVID changed everything. Families who relied on us as a communication connector suddenly lost that. The impact of quality childcare exploded, and we recognized that we had a role to play, we had a responsibility to make play-based learning accessible wherever we could."

Gray said they moved into a new phase.

"Suddenly there was a childcare crisis," said Gray. "Parents, grandparents were home with their kids and were required to become their children's teachers. We helped them understand the value of play, how it helps kids grow to become problem solvers, to learn cooperation, to think outside of the box. Social interaction was harder, so we decided to develop kits, and to give them away for free."

Gray said they worked with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create guides for kids of different ages. They offered them to the community.

"We had 30 and thought it was enough," she said. "We got 83 requests immediately and we needed to find a way to make more. We worked with the University of New Hampshire to fund more kits. We developed partnerships with childcare centers, got feedback and kept improving what we were doing. We created a monthly newsletter to keep everyone in touch."

"When we finally were able to reopen, people cried," said Bard. "They were so happy. There were babies who had been born during the pandemic, who had never had the experience of being in a community setting. It was incredible to watch."

96,000 children served annually

Gray said many of their programs, like "Wee Ones Wednesday" are intended for preschool children to be able to come and learn how to interact with each other. She said it is children learning to take direction, in a safe environment.

The work through the pandemic is just one of the ways the museum's staff strives to touch the lives of the state's smallest populations.

"This past year we served over 96,000 children in New Hampshire," said Bard. "We want to continue to be a resource for all of New Hampshire's children and their families. They come here but we also reach out more now, are traveling to other areas of the state with our programming, engaging kids and families where we can, keeping our vision as it has been since the beginning and we intend to keep adding new exhibits, new programs."

New outdoor spaces, programs in the works

In addition to the expansion and new exhibits on the second for, future plans include new outdoor spaces in the works for the spring.

"We are working to incorporate more mental health components into our programming," said Gray. "We are creating a space for a quiet room, a restful roost. It will be a safe space for any child, at whatever age, who needs a space to decompress, who might be a little sensory overloaded."

The museum staff has using “Play based learning" as a guiding principle to strengthen and improve hands-on exhibits inside the museum.

"We help plan for the future knowing what we know about how unstructured play helps improve kids' mental health which is taking a huge hit currently," said Bard.

The museum is looking at active play areas for the colder winter months.

"We have some great ideas," said Gray. "We can change it up. We can do the floor is lava, winter sock skate, bumble bees and beach balls. Kids need to play no matter the weather outdoors."

How to support the Children's Museum of New Hampshire

An online auction/fundraiser is currently taking place at: childrens-museum.org, where donations are also accepted.

Businesses paying New Hampshire state taxes that are interested in purchasing tax credits to support this expansion project can contact Monique Deforge, director of development and community engagement, at monique@childrens-museum.org.

The museum leaders anticipate opening the new space in late 2025.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Children's Museum of NH celebrates 40th anniversary with expansion