The Children's Museum of the Magic Valley (CMMV) is an emerging hands-on children's museum to be located in Twin Falls, Idaho. CMMV will focus exhibits, programming, and children's activities on the Magic Valley's 37,000 children ages birth through eleven years. The research and concept development behind CMMV has been ongoing since mid-2018 when it was founded as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
A childrens museum is a collection of designed spaces that encourage learning through hands-on play. They are community assets that are constantly addressing the needs of all children and families in their communities through exhibits, outreach, programming, and other educational children's activities. It is not a drop-off facility, but rather a place to explore and learn and have fun together.
Our mission is to engage children of all ages and abilities in learning through imaginative play and discovery. Our vision is to be a gathering place that builds wonder and curiosity in children and families. A board of directors works diligently to bring this educational amenity to the community. In June 2019 we launched our Community Outreach Program. Over 2,000 people participated in hands-on mobile exhibits over the summer. In fall 2019, we expanded our impact by partnering with area elementary schools to host STEM Family Nights. We served 2,850 individuals within the first year of our educational outreach program.
We are not stopping with community outreach. Our goal is to establish a permanent, state-of-the-art children's museum in Twin Falls. The Twin Falls Urban Renewal Agency (URA) entered into exclusive negotiations with CMMV for the purchase of a .50 acre lot in downtown Twin Falls on the corner of 3rd Street South and Idaho Street South. CMMV hired Frame Integrative Design Strategies, based in Seattle, Washington, to assist us in the exhibition concept and design of the museum. The best childrens museums in the country reflect the values, history, and geography of the areas they serve, and that is what you can expect from CMMV. Woven throughout the museum will be the thematic elements of Building Community, Connecting to Place, Discovering STEAM, and Exploring Sustainability. We are excited to see the magic within the Magic Valley unfold as we work together to create a beautiful museum for our children.