Creative Discovery Museum is opening the newest addition to the museum as part of the Ignite Discovery capital campaign, TreeHouse Adventure…just in time for spring break.
This exciting climbing structure rises 25 feet above ground and includes five unique pods designed to engage children in hands-on learning experiences, while encouraging them to explore, innovate, create, and play.
The five pods within TreeHouse Adventure each offer a different mood and theme, providing children with a range of activities and opportunities for discovery.
Southern folk art and citizen science inspired the creative themes of these pods.
· The Gathering House encourages pretend play and social interaction with its natural hut design, complete with furniture and built-in appliances made of wood and natural materials. This pod is also wheelchair accessible.
· The Weather Pod offers guests a scientific experience, allowing them to use their senses to make observations about current weather conditions, identify clouds, read weather instruments, and record their observations. The stairs up to this pod also include a transfer deck for guests with upper body mobility to access the exhibit. This pod is made possible by Local 3 WRCB.
· The Relaxation Pod encourages feelings of calm and relaxation through various positions to recline, relax, and observe. Explore curio boxes that contain natural items from woodland, seascape, and manmade scenes.
· The Reflection Pod stimulates opportunities for experiential play with its reflective surface along the exterior and interior of the pod, including a color wheel operated by a wheel crank to create a colorful array of light within the pod. Guests can also shoot an air cannon to create movement along a shimmering gold reflection wall.
· In the Observation Nest, visitors feel like they are in a swaying treetop as they are rewarded with a wonderful 360-degree view of downtown Chattanooga.
“We are thrilled to have created this exhibit in collaboration with PlayCore, one of the leading playground manufacturers in the United States, whose headquarters is just a few blocks from the Museum,” said Henry Schulson, president and CEO of CDM. “It is exciting to watch children climb up and down the structure, taking safe risks while building confidence, and scaling new heights as they explore the world around them.”
“Our longstanding partnership with Creative Discovery Museum is very dear to us as we are passionate about the health and wellness benefits of play and recreation, ideating purposeful approaches to design, and innovating creative ways to delight children and families, “ said Lisa Moore, senior vice president at PlayCore. “This new TreeHouse Adventure exhibit is yet another demonstration of how beneficial partnerships can be in our mission of building healthy communities, and it is especially rewarding for us to be able to demonstrate our broad capabilities, through our growing family of brands, right in our own community.”
The exhibit is now open to the public and hours will be extended during the first week of April to give visitors the opportunity to play. Visit CDM Saturday, April 1 – Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.