An Astounding Artic Affair at the Children’s Museum

By Courtney Elisech

SAGINAW—There was music, crafts, dancing, and lots of laughs at the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum on Sunday, Feb. 12. With an astounding turnout, the first annual Arctic Affair was a fun-filled and successful event.

Walking into the museum the employees happily greeted everyone and wished them a fun time. Children played at all the attractions, interacting with each other and museum employees and volunteers. By 3 p.m. almost 400 people had already attended with two more hours to go. Each guest received a goodie bag that contained hot chocolate and a winter-themed bouncy ball as they departed. Goodie bags were donated by Do-All Inc.

Jerimah Adams, 10, had a great time at the museum with his family. He remembers coming when he was younger and thinks the museum is more fun now. 

One of the winter activities included playing with fake snow made from baking soda and conditioner.

“My favorite thing was the fake snow,” Adams said. “I liked that it wasn’t cold and wet but worked like real snow.” 

There are different types of hearts, like an adult or child’s, with unique sounds to hear in the Insides Out area. 

“My second favorite thing was hearing the hearts,” Adams said. In the center of the museum are large sculptures of people holding with were areas you could climb inside. “I really liked climbing into the giant bodies and laying inside.” 

Veronica Lopez-Benham, 9, also enjoyed the fake snow activity. She thought it was cold but not too cold.

“I really liked hearing the hearts and playing with the snow,” Lopez-Benham said. “The mask activity was kind of scary because I had to talk to the people I didn’t know when we made them. I also thought the dental area was really cool and interesting. I wish the tools for the chair were out still.”

Lopez-Benham had a fun time playing and learning at the museum. Her favorite thing was in the A-mazing Airways area. Clear tube systems are put together with a motorized blower that you put balls inside. The force can move items through the tubes and shoot them out.  

“I used to be terrified to do the air tubes that you drop the balls in, and they get sucked away,” Lopez-Benham said. “I used to be afraid my hand would get sucked in. But trying it today was so fun, now I’m not scared.”  

There was a spiral slide and jungle gym area that was very popular. “The slide was so fun, they should add more of those so more people can do it at once,” Benham-Lopez said. 

The water table in the Water, Water Everywhere area was a huge hit with fake fishing, spinning wheels, and more. Children were surrounding the table constantly. “The fishing at the water table was hard because the fish had to be picked by the mouth. But the water area was so fun, it was messy but cool,” Adams said.

33-year-old Catherine Elisech, from Saginaw, brought her children to the museum for the event. She learned about it from the Youth First program at her children’s school, Bridgeport Elementary. The family received a free family pass for the event for being in the program.

“Jerimah and Veronica participate in the Youth First program and get to do all sorts of things,” Elisech said. “It’s like an after-school program but in the morning. They get dropped off early to do different activities. Recently they participated in an Easy Bake Oven competition and Jerimah got first and second places respectively at the events.”

One-year-old Melissa Benham celebrated a first at the Artic Affair.

“This is the first big thing Melissa has been to with a lot of other people,” Elisech said of her one-year-old daughter. “It has been great. She is having a blast crawling around and exploring. We met other babies and she got to play. The toddler area was fun, and everything was easy for her to do.” 

The water table was an interesting new experience for one-year-old Benham. “Melissa really enjoyed splashing in the water and painting on the wall of the evaporation station,” Elisech said. “It was one of her favorite areas.”

Many of the people working the event and helping with activities were volunteers. Museum employee Emily Schmidt was working the front counter during the event. She shared some information about the volunteers, the event, regular admission, and the different services the museum offers. 

“Most of the volunteers are foreign exchange students from SVSU,” Schmidt said. “Today the students are from Africa, South America, Asia, and more. They are required to do volunteer hours as a part of their program.”

Schmidt started at the museum about three years ago as an intern with the education department. In July 2021 she began working part-time, before moving to full-time status in October. 

“It’s a pretty low-stress job,” Schmidt said. “Just asking children not to run or climb and cleaning up the toys.” 

On a regular day, admission is $7.50 for ages 2-59, and $6.50 for ages 60 and over, under two, is free. The Artic Affair was able to have a discounted admission of $3 because of the sponsorship from Wright-K Technologies. You can have a party in a museum classroom for $150 which includes full-day admission to the museum for 20 guests and a two-hour time slot in the classroom. 

The museum will host another event on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. called Pirates and Princesses. Guests are welcome to dress as their favorite pirates and princesses. There will be a water table treasure hunt, costume creation crafts, a parade of everyone dressed up, craft stations, and more. 

Adams and Lopez-Benham both said they want to come to the next event dressed as pirates to find all the treasure. 

The interactive attractions that allowed for playing and learning were a hit for all the guests. Each area had one or more sensory aspects to it. From a play kitchen, a safe toddler area, to a rock wall and tiny trike track the museum held something for children of all ages. Adding in some event crafts made the day even better. 

“I definitely want to come to the museum again,” Lopez-Benham said as she left the museum. “Maybe we can come for my birthday, that would be so fun.”