Play is a Priority!
The Campaign
Our Play is a Priority! campaign focused on children’s mental health. As we all know, the pandemic continues to cause stress on all of the community. Unfortunately, children are not free from this stress. Opportunities to play outside of their home and with others was not always priority. Play is both simple and complex but it’s the child’s context for learning. Research shows that play reduces stress levels in children, it’s the most simple and complex way to maintain mental health. Constant periods of high stress in children causes negative physical and behavioral changes.
This is why at Explorium we want to remind everyone that play is important, but we need your help! Our goal is to make this the best summer EVER for the children of Denton County! We have a full summer of activities planned for kids: Above & Beyond Fest, a new and affordable Summer Play Pass, weekly pop-up learning exhibits, “Camper”ships for low income students, and a Trike A Thon. We need your support in providing these play opportunities for Denton County children. Join our efforts to increase the mental health of children by encouraging them and providing opportunities for them to play all summer long!
Make Summer 2021 the Summer of Play!
Here are the activities and new happenings at Explorium during the Summer of Play:
Our Play is a Priority Campaign kicks off at our Above & Beyond Fest on May 15th! Above & Beyond Fest will feature demonstrations by the Dallas Area Kitefliers Organization and North Texas Aeromodelers. There will also be food trucks, photo opportunities, and tons of outdoor fun!
You can get in on the action at our activity stations where there will be DIY kite decorating, paper plane launching, and giant bubble making. A $10 donation will get you access to all 3 stations. We have 100 Above & Beyond Fest Play Kits available. Purchase your Above & Beyond Fest Play Kit here!
Explorium has a brand new and affordable Summer Play Pass! This pass starts at only $55 for a family of 5. The pass provides your family with an unlimited amount of entries for 102 Days of Summer! Valid during our operational hours from May 27th – September 4th. Along with our stationary exhibits, (like our animals, chicken coop, and rigamajig) you will also get to experience our Make & Think area. Our Make & Think area features new activities every two weeks, making it perfect for our returning visitors. Explorium’s Summer Play Pass is the perfect way to beat the Texas heat while learning through play this summer! Purchase your Summer Play Pass here!
We’re so excited to host our first Trike-A-Thon on Saturday, August 7th! This event will mark the end of our Play is a Priority campaign! Trike-A-Thon is an athletic challenge where children receive donations per lap that they complete on their tricycles/bicycles. We will build a special trike path that will include balloon arches, a pretend trike wash, along with other fun obstacles. Prior to the triking and biking, there will be kits for children to decorate their tricycles/bicycles. This will be a fun, engaging community event that you won’t want to miss! More information coming soon.
14 Weeks of Pop-Up Exhibits! To make this summer the best ever, we are also going to have 14 weeks of pop-up exhibits. This is to provide exciting and educational activities for all of our Explorium visitors. We will include activities that we have never featured before! Explorium will welcome various community members to show off their services, and we will have a fun & educational activity related to the service. There are so many possible learning through play opportunities, we invite you to be part of this!
How to Get Involved
You can support our Play is a Priority Campaign by donating, sponsoring an event or camp, or by coming out to play! We are passionate about our mission of providing fun learning experiences for the families of Denton County. After facing the challenges of being a hands-on learning experience during a global pandemic, we are trying our best to recover financially. Part of this campaign is to help Explorium to keep doing our part in being a resource for Denton.
You can donate to our mission with the link below! For sponsorship opportunities and business partnerships, please email info@exploriumdenton.org.
