The Building for Kids Children’s Museum is offering free admission for Diversity Discovery Free Day this Sunday, February 10. A $1,500 grant from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region is helping facilitate educational activities in the museum to increase awareness and understanding of the diversity of our community.

By Katy Compton, Director of Marketing and Programs, Building for Kids

The Fox Cities, like every great community, is a tapestry of different races, cultures, beliefs, abilities and lifestyles. One of the goals of Diversity Discovery Free Day at the Building for Kids is to create an educational, hands-on and engaging event where families can learn what makes cultures in the community different, but also how we are all the same.

Now going on our fourth year, we have seen over 4,000 people visit this event, taking part in activities like painting sugar skulls to learn about Dia de los Muertos, watching original skits that showcase what it means to be a Muslim, coding with women in technology and more. Each year, we see something new and exciting that highlights the cultures that make up the Fox Cities.

This year’s event on Sunday, February 10, we are looking forward to an American Indian drum circle with the Menominee, cultural games with the Appleton Public Library, a sensory activity with SOAR Fox Cities and more (to see the full schedule of programs and activities, visit our website!)

For the Building for Kids’s main age group (crawler through 8 years old) curiosity is a natural state. They ask questions and explore new possibilities with an abandon that is sometimes difficult as an adult. As the kids learn about different elements of their community, it creates a deeper understanding and acceptance that can last a lifetime. They see concepts and cultures other than their own not as something apart from them, but as another aspect of a whole that makes up the complexities of their community. And because this is a family learning experience, the kids bring their adults along for the ride, creating an environment where families are growing together!

All families are welcome to come to the Building for Kids on Sunday, from noon – 5 p.m. It is a free admission day to help reduce the barriers of coming for a visit. Besides all the outstanding, interactive, multi-cultural activities, there are over 30,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits to explore.

We are thankful to the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and other supporters and community partners for making this event possible! We hope to continue this event for years to come!

You can make the Bright Ideas burn even brighter by adding your support.

Check out our current Bright Idea Fund results from 2018 – 2019!
See how our Bright Idea Fund impacted our community last year.