It had a low-key opening and may be hard to find, but Ireland's first children's museum is already hugely popular. Its director, Orla Kennedy, tells Sylvia Thompsonabout her plans.
Orla Kennedy, director of Imaginosity, Ireland's first children's museum, describes the last four months as a "soft opening" period. There were no big press launches or publicity campaigns to highlight its arrival, yet more than 44,000 people have visited the centre since it opened its doors quietly at the end of August 2007.
"We wanted some time to settle into the new building, yet visitors just started coming in from the day we first opened," says Kennedy.
In fact, Imaginosity is so busy at weekends that pre-booking is essential from Fridays to Sundays (and during school holidays) and visits are restricted to two hourly sessions during these periods.
So what's the huge attraction of what they call a children's creative space, situated in the midst of the dazzling new corporate buildings in the Beacon South Quarter of Sandyford, Co Dublin? In the interests of research, we took along a group of six children, aged between five and 12. The two younger children had the most fun on the climber that straddles two and a half storeys of the centre.
"The climber is a celebration of children's imagination," says Kennedy. "It's like playing in the big box that the washing machine came in."
Starting as a submarine, it extends through six interactive areas, from the sea to outer space to Rapunzel's Castle at the top. The beauty of the climber (to the adult eye, at least) also lies in its subtle blend of colours and textures, which are a world away from the gaudy and sometimes tatty play equipment in commercial indoor fun parks.
The village market, with its miniature shopping trolleys, fruit and vegetable stalls, meat counter and shelves of grocery provisions, was a favourite of another member of our party. The nearby diner and post office also had appeal.
"The supermarket or village market is one of the most popular exhibits in children's museums across the world," says Kennedy. "Children love playing adult roles and find it empowering to make choices around food."
To that end, Imaginosity's market includes a quiz in which children can discover which foods give them more energy than others.
We move on through Dr Appleaday's surgery (where a drum imitates the beat of your heart by measuring the pulse in the palm of your hand), a construction zone and a townscape (with notable Dublin landmarks) to cars. Here, the older girls and boys enjoyed taking on the roles of mechanics, car designers and drivers.
"Children love designing their own cars and we've incorporated features which allow them to see the environmental impact if they include a big engine or bigger wheels," explains Kennedy. "And when they sit in to drive the car, they learn that if they go too fast, they come off the road. It's more serious than driving a car in an arcade because it teaches them about safety and awareness of the environment around them."
Moving to the upper floors, children can test their skills at reading the news while their friends watch them on television, and a purpose-built stage with a box of costumes gives ample opportunity for dramatic talents to emerge. Other features include enclosed areas designed specifically for toddlers, crawlers and babies. An outdoor soft-play area on the roof space is due to open soon.
IN A NUTSHELL, Imaginosity encourages what Kennedy calls "hands-on, minds-on" learning, and one crucial part of this is the involvement of an adult in the experience.
"We actively encourage adults to join in with their children, experiment and have fun," says Kennedy.
In fact, the introductory leaflet states that adults must supervise their children at all times and must not leave them unattended while they sit in the cafe.
"It's a place where you can build memories with your children. You wouldn't bring your children to the zoo and leave them looking at the lions while you sat drinking coffee over at the giraffe's enclosure," says Kennedy, conscious that some parents have reacted against the centre's policy on this issue.
Alongside all the wonderful complimentary remarks about Imaginosity in the comment book were some complaints. Charging for adults and babies was unpopular with some, a gripe about which Kennedy says: "Everyone is a user, which is why we charge for everyone, although we are about to allow babies under six months in free."
Current admission charges are €8 per adult or child aged over three, €6 for toddlers and €2 for babies. Imaginosity, which operates as a charity, offered membership to 500 families when it first opened and has just taken on 100 more members.
Other complaints related to difficulties finding the museum, and poor pedestrian access. These are valid points, as the building is situated in a courtyard in amongst high-rise buildings, and although the museum's water features, wooden walkways and steps are stylishly modern, they aren't very child-friendly. However, once inside, visitors can leave their belongings in lockers and their buggies downstairs, and can borrow baby-slings and backpacks to carry young children.
Kennedy is unruffled by the criticism and is instead brimful of ideas about how the centre can be further developed.
"We've taken on an education officer who is currently developing pre-visit packs for teachers. Every aspect of the museum resonates with the primary-school curriculum [the centre is specifically aimed at children up to aged 10]. We're also bringing on a full time arts officer and a part-time theatre officer, both of whom will develop more arts and drama-based activities."
