EdVenture serves the community and opens for normal hours
October 13, 2015
Museum Provides Free Admission to First Responders and Their Families
COLUMBIA, SC – EdVenture Children’s Museum is proud to stand strong with South Carolina as the community recovers from the devastating flood.
“During this crisis, children can be upset and asking questions about how and why this has happened, and it can often be challenging to answer their questions in a way that provides comfort,” Karen Coltrane, president and CEO of EdVenture, said. “Children’s museums can help by giving families a space to spend important time together where children can naturally work through recent experiences using play. When children play, they are in control, which is always comforting when uncontrollable things happen.”
EdVenture has produced a fact sheet about the flooding and suggestions on how to answer questions from your children. Copies of the fact sheet will be available at the welcome desk at the museum.
EdVenture suggests that caregivers can help their children by:
- Answering questions in clear, factual terms they can understand
- Patiently repeating answers because children need repetition
- Respecting your children’s emotions, even if different from your own
- Listening carefully to your children and creating a safe, calm environment for conversation
- Reassuring your children that adults are working hard to keep them safe and helping people who were harmed or whose homes flooded
- Talking to your child about the important work of police, fire & rescue, EMS, National Guard and all first responders
“Children’s brains are still developing, and this historic event will likely be a part of their lifetime memories,” Coltrane said. “We are grateful that we could take programs to the community while we were closed, and certainly happy to be open now so that children and families can have us as a resource.”
After being closed for five days during the flooding and emergency work on the Columbia Canal, EdVenture re-opened on Friday, Oct. 9. EdVenture will remain open seven days a week during recovery efforts. Guests are asked to be mindful that emergency work on the Columbia Canal continues and parking may be limited.
EdVenture is leading the statewide effort of children’s museums, including: Children’s Museum of South Carolina (Myrtle Beach), Children’s Museum of the Low Country (Charleston), The Sandbox (Hilton Head) and Main Street Children’s Museum (Rock Hill) to offer FREE admission to first responders (police, fire & rescue, EMS and the National Guard) and their families for the entire month of October.
EdVenture is also taking programming and resources to the community. On Thursday, Oct. 8, staff took maker activities and games to children and families at local emergency shelters at Lower Richland High School and St. Andrews Middle School. On the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 9, staff brought pop up programming to Cross Hill Market on Beltline Blvd.
On Oct. 23, EdVenture will host a free book distribution for children enrolled in the Richland County Recreation Foundation after school programs. This will included books and activities for students at Caughman Road Park, Forest Lake Park and North Springs Park. Lastly, On Oct. 24, EdVenture will be open for FREE to the general public for a day of fun and education on health and wellness, sponsored by SC Blue.
EdVenture has also welcomed the City of Columbia, Lockhart Power and other emergency officials to set up an emergency operations center at EdVenture while the Columbia Canal is being repaired.
“As a non-profit community service organization, EdVenture is stepping up our efforts to keep education in South Carolina strong, especially during trying times,” said Coltrane. “We are geared to inspire creativity and innovation in children, and we are using it ourselves to provide high-quality, informal education for families. When children are out of school, having one of the top 20 children’s museums in the nation nearby can be a valuable resource, and we are committed to being a part of our community’s recovery effort.”
About EdVenture
The mission of EdVenture is to inspire children to experience the joy of learning. EdVenture is a locally-managed, not-for-profit informal educational institution dedicated to lifelong learning through its 92,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor interactive exhibit space and in its educational outreach programs and after school programs. The museum has welcomed visitors from all 50 states and 18 foreign countries, creating shared experiences and memories for families learning together. For more information about EdVenture, visit www.edventure.org or call (803) 779-3100.
