the i play story

It all started in July of 2005 when a woman, her husband and her 2 and a half year old son went to a small children’s museum in North Carolina.  Her husband said, after hours of fun playing in the inventive play areas, looking at the clear descriptive designs on the walls and hanging from the ceilings and playing from area to area…“you could do this in our town.” 

You see the woman had wanted to contribute to her community, with the skills and enthusiasm she has for children.

 Let’s create a children’s museum full of interactive exhibits that:

• encourages critical thinking
• inspires creativity
• values social competence
• offers openness to ideas and experiences
• finds new meaning in the arts and in every single day of their lives
• that is funded by admissions, underwriting from area businesses, annual giving from our whole community from $1 to $1,000.000.00, grants and foundations for large projects. 

i play Children’s Museum

• is an incorporated company ~ February, 2006
• joined Chamber of Commerce of Greater Springfield ~ December 2005
• joined Association of Children’s Museums ~ November 2005
• working with Misha Bolkhovitinov of Firebird Design Studio on the concept and design  for the museum started~ June 2006
• obtained 501(c)3 non-profit status ~ February, 2008