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Friday, 9 December 2005 | Elif Sungur
New KidsQuest Children's Museum by the Portico Group Opens Sunday
The Eastside will get its first look at the new KidsQuest Children's Museum on Sunday as local children help open its doors by "unwrapping" this gift to the community. The Eastside's first permanent non-profit children's museum will open to the public at noon in Factoria Mall.
KidsQuest is designed to encourage cognitive, physical and emotional development through hands-on interactive exhibits and programs for families and kids from infancy to age 12.
This new family resource presents art, science, technology and daily life experiences in four exhibit galleries, two learning labs, parent resource areas and a museum store.
The Waterways exhibit invites participants to experience the magic of water by building bridges, dams and waterfalls, racing boats down a rocky stream, or making music with water chimes and drums. In The Backyard, kids can build blanket forts, and slide downhill on oversized leaves, or explore giant and colorful activity-filled birdhouses. The Garage is a bustling community workshop where kids can tinker with tools, make music with unlikely instruments in a garage band or climb into the full-sized cab of a semi-truck.
KidsQuest has raised $3.7 million and continues to pursue sponsorships and contributions to support exhibits and programs. Major donors include The Gates Foundation, Puget Sound Energy, the Danz Family, Amgen Foundation, the State of Washington and the King County Council. "Many people have worked very hard to make KidsQuest Children's Museum a reality for the community," said KidsQuest Board Co-chair Sarah Langton. "It's gratifying to have internationally known funders recognize the need for a children's museum on the Eastside with our rapidly expanding population of young families."
KidsQuest has been in motion since 1997 when a group of volunteers helped to obtain the 501©3 status for the organization. Twenty-three-year children's museum veteran Putter Bert was hired as executive director in 2000 to help create and implement what she calls, "the wonderment of KidsQuest."
The museum was designed by The Portico Group, an internationally recognized design studio that integrates architecture, landscape architecture and exhibit design. Exhibits were built by PPI Exhibit Design and Fabrication of Portland, Oregon, with construction services by Bellevue construction company GLY.
The museum is located in the south end of Factoria Mall between Mervyn's and Old Navy, facing Petco. This location, chosen for its proximity to I-90, I-405 and its ample free parking, makes KidsQuest easily accessible to residents of the entire Puget Sound region.
The museum will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Fridays from 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Although usually closed on Mondays, the museum will open Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for the rest of December. Admission is $6.00 per person; children under one year are free. Admission is free Friday evenings between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit http://www.kidsquestmuseum.org and http://www.porticogroup.com
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