After many years of planning and fundraising efforts, the Children's Discovery Museum is on the brink of realizing its vision. With the support of generous donors and enthusiastic community members, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new challenge that brings us one step closer to our goal. A major donor has pledged $200,000 to complete the Children’s Discovery Museum’s capital campaign—but there's a catch. We need your help to make it happen! Between now and September 1st, we're calling on 300 new members to join the Children’s Discovery Museum family. This match initiative represent ..read more

After many years of dreaming, the new Children’s Discovery Museum is under construction! The museum has contracted with the local construction company ,,Sheridan Construction, who is completing the renovations needed to give the space a beautiful facelift, transforming the building into a Children's Museum ready to welcome all of our brand new exhibits and soon... you! The renovations Lead Supervisor, Chad, has been amazing to work with, and we recently took some time to get to know him better. Chad has been in the construction business for 32 years, including the last 11 with Sheridan. He st ..read more

Downtown Waterville is now ablaze with thousands of Christmas lights to celebrate the 2023 holiday season. Kaleb Pushard, owner of SkyBox Holiday and Event Lighting in Manchester, has volunteered to decorate the trees and Kringleville cabin in Castonguay Square for free this year. Pushard’s love of Christmas lights started when as a young adult he saw a local light display set to sound, and was so fascinated by it he immediately started researching how to do it himself. Over the course of a few years he learned about lighting effects and installation, and used these new talents to decorate hi ..read more

by Emily Bessey - Museum Engagement Coordinator There are so many exciting things happening at the Children’s Discovery Museum! A few weeks ago, the steeple on our building came down. This was a positive development as the steeple was leaking and creating problems for our roof. We are so thankful for the careful work of Sheridan Construction for safely removing the steeple and the 1500 lb Paul Revere Bell that was housed inside! Building a new museum is a HUGE project! It takes many talented visionaries to create a new magical museum. We have been working with a fabulous designer, Rusty Lamer ..read more

Written by Board Member Serena Sanborn Did you know that the Children’s Discovery Museum sometimes participates in First Fridays? And that we also partner on Story walks around Waterville? What is a First Friday? First Fridays celebrate the vibrant creativity in Waterville through a wide array of arts experiences, which often include art making for families. On the first Friday of every month, you can meet artists, see performances, listen to live music, eat delicious food, shop at local businesses, enjoy the arts, and come together as a community. This coming Friday, November 3rd, is extra sp ..read more

Say hello to Emily Bessey, the newest member of the CDM team! Emily will be joining us as our Museum Engagement Coordinator. I recently sat down with Emily for a little question and answer session to get to know her better: Q: What will you be doing at the museum? A: I am so excited to be joining the team at the Children's Discovery Museum! Until the new year, I'll be focusing on filling in for Amarinda while she is out on her maternity leave. I am excited to help support the big changes unfolding over the next several months. Our museum will be transformed! Additionally, as the Museum's Enga ..read more

We are so excited to share the below press release, outlining our most recent partnership with ,Educare Central Maine! This fantastic collaboration allowed the museum to test out some of the pieces that will be incorporated into the new museum, as well as program ideas and exhibit concepts that are in the works. A big thank you to all of the families who participated! Educare Central Maine’s Lab School & Learning Hub and Children’s Discovery Museum Successfully Complete Prototyping Sessions Educare Central Maine’s Lab School & Learning Hub and Children’s Discovery Museum are thrilled ..read more

The museum's exhibit floor will contain many large, permanent structures that were carefully designed and are being crafted to represent each of the four distinct zones: River, City, Mill, and Rural. The fabrication process is already in full swing, and our exhibits are currently being built, bringing our imaginative design ideas to life! In the meantime, we have already commissioned some beautiful new custom pieces and made some exciting purchases for the new exhibit floor. Take a peek! Giant Flowers and Spider Poop Balls We are thrilled to announce the successful delivery of the exhibit piec ..read more

Earlier this month, Executive Director Amarinda Keys had the chance to attend the Association of Children’s Museum’s InterActivity 2023 Levering our Voice Hosted by the Louisiana Children's Museum. “The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums and together enrich the lives of children worldwide.” The Children’s Discovery Museum of Central Maine is one of nearly 500 members in all 50 states and in 19 countries, giving us access to a vast network of children’s museums, the latest research and trends in the field, professional development opportunities and the ability ..read more

The Children’s Discovery Museum is so excited to be teaming up with artist and Lunder Institute for American Art Fellow Veronica Perez to create one-of-a-kind interactive pieces of art through community workshops for the museum’s brand-new exhibit hall! Throughout the month of June, Veronica, a Maine-based multidisciplinary artist and mother, will host a series of workshops that invite children from the community into the design and creation process. Support for these free workshops is generously provided by Colby College Arts Office, Museum of Art, and the Center for the Arts and Humanities ..read more