Keep reading below about an exciting new experience in downtown Winston-Salem! We’ve been waiting to announce this for a while now, and we’re so excited that the day is almost here. Kaleideum promises to be an amazing hands-on experience exploring all fields of science and nature while incorporating creativity at every turn. Whether you’re living in Winston-Salem, or just passing through, beginning in mid-February this needs to be a priority.
Contributed by Shari Brady, Ph.D., Vice President of Education and Engagement
Since the 2016 merger of The Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem and SciWorks to become Kaleideum, we have eagerly awaited the completion of our brand-new experiential learning museum in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem. The grand opening of Kaleideum on February 17, 2024, will mark the culmination of years of planning, dedication, and a shared passion for igniting the spark of creativity in every visitor and helping them learn how to learn — all while having fun.
The museum hosts seven exhibit galleries that include hands-on activities for all ages. As you enter the museum, be sure to set your intentions and snap your picture at our Photo Fort, which is also a climber. Every floor has exhibitions — the By Design exhibition on the first floor features scenes from Winston-Salem and gives visitors a chance to iterate through patterns, coding, furniture design, digital body art, and more.
The second floor features our Digital Dome, a state of the art planetarium where you can fly through the solar system or delve into the human body. Also on the second floor, the In Motion exhibition explores physics, allowing families to do everything from engineer a roller coaster to steer a ball through a hoop with a Bernoulli Blower.
When you step onto the third floor, you can immediately enter a world of your own creation in the Storytelling exhibition. Interact with Sylvia the Sea Dragon and learn more about the science of reading through phonetic sound. Create a shadow puppet show or a stop motion animation scene. Families can even dress up and perform on stage with lights and sound effects.
Also on the third floor is the Our Nature exhibition, which reminds us to slow down and study nature through our living creatures and collections. Quiet corners provide tranquil spaces for reflection, and children can curl up in cozy reading nooks and immerse themselves in the natural world observing the various animals on exhibit.
Down the hallway on the third floor is Wonders of Water, which examines water in its three stages: liquid, solid, and gas. Carve an ice block with warmed tools, play arcade games with water guns, dance through a light show in the fog tunnel and color a marine animal and then send it to swim in the digital aquarium.
Travel up to the fourth floor where you can be creative in the Try-It studio with a variety of activities and building challenges that change daily. In addition, the youngest visitors have a space to call their own in Little Learners, a space for babies, new walkers, and their caregivers. Visitors can also travel outside to the Rooftop Adventure, where they can climb the play structure, spin on cocoon swings, or just take in the breathtaking view of our wonderful city!
The opening of Kaleideum is not just an event … it is a promise to nurture curiosity and creativity while providing a space where visitors can explore their boundless potential and embrace the joy of lifelong learning. Kaleideum is where creativity and wonder, and fun and learning collide.
