‍WASHINGTON, D.C.’S EXPLORE! CHILDREN’S MUSEUM LAUNCHES EXPLORE! SANDBOX, A NEW ENGAGING, ONLINE PLAY RESOURCE

The Sandbox Aggregates the Best Activities from Museums, Theaters and Cultural Institutions Around the Nation to Create a Hub for Virtual and Interactive At-Home Experiences

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 2, 2020 - Today, Explore! Children’s Museum, the forthcoming museum inspiring children to be curious thinkers, creators, communicators and collaborators, announces the launch of Explore! Sandbox, an online resource for parents that compiles the best activities and experiences from top children’s museums, art and science museums, and more across the country. In a time when more families are home together, the Sandbox aims to inspire creativity, play and connectivity while catering to children’s individual interests. 

Curated for children ages zero to nine, the Explore! Sandbox has aggregated more than 100 activities for the website's launch including art videos, science experiments and even cooking how-tos featuring young chefs. The Sandbox will continue to be updated to be a resource for families who are looking to further engage their children while playing at home.

“Today, kitchens and living rooms are being turned into play spaces and art studios, and the need to provide valuable and trusted resources that inspire creative exploration is more important than ever,” said Jane Lipton Cafritz, Founder and Chair of the Board for Explore! Children’s Museum. “Our kids live in a connected world, and we want to ensure that that connection isn’t lost, but rather enhanced, while museums, playgrounds and camps are closed.”

Activities featured on The Sandbox aim to help visitors reimagine what meaningful, at-home experiences look like and guide parents to connect with their children in new ways. Experiences are divided into seven different categories - Arts, Food, Movement, Performance, Science & Nature, Storytime, and Explore! More - and range from interactive activities and play to hands-on projects. In line with the museum’s mission to inspire children to be curious thinkers and communicators, and challenge children to ask questions about the world around them, the Sandbox also includes resources for parents to talk about difficult topics, such as racism, at home.

While a brick-and-mortar museum is being built out, the vision of Explore! continues to exist via a digital community before a physical museum. In 2015, Explore! launched Mission Mobile, a traveling simulator for schools in D.C., Maryland and Virginia that teaches students problem-solving, collaboration and critical-thinking skills through various themed “missions.” Two years later, Explore! with the National Portrait Gallery launched in downtown Washington, D.C. The Explore! Sandbox aims to fill the void of these live experiences while the exhibit and Mission Mobile remain closed in the wake of COVID-19.

For more information on the Explore! Sandbox, Explore! Children’s Museum, and more visit www.exploremuseum.org

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Media Contact: 

Jessica Davis

jessica@thebrandguild.com

561.762.1707

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ABOUT EXPLORE! CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Explore! Children’s Museum, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to serving children birth through age 10 in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. The mission of Explore! is to inspire children to be curious thinkers, creators, communicators, and collaborators. In early 2017 Explore! and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery opened an interactive children’s museum experience inside the Portrait Gallery. For more information, visit exploremuseum.org.