Curious Minds Discovery Zone welcomes new climbing structure with ceremony

Curious Minds Discovery Zone recently welcomed a new climbing structure at its facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and free admission on Worldwide Day of Play on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Museum Director Becky Falke said Worldwide Day of Play is sponsored by Nickelodeon and the Association of Children’s Museums. 

“We think it’s a great day; it’s a great opportunity to get kids in the building for free,” Falke said. “We kind of wrapped it up into this nice little thing for us, because our new climbing structure is here. So, it kind of made it nice for us to introduce our new farm exhibit.”

Falke said fundraising for the climbing structure has been going on for two years, and installation began during the last week of August, with volunteers and assistance from Tulsa’s Discovery Lab. The project was also assisted by several grants from entities including the Parsons Area Community Foundation, Southeast Kansas Community Foundation, the City of Parsons and the Huizenga Foundation. 

Falke also said a few words prior to cutting the ribbon, including thanking sponsors such as Beachner Grain, Commercial Bank, Nancy Mechling and Cam and Amy Salyers. She also thanked donors from the annual dinner auction, and volunteers who helped build the structure such as Dan Van Leeuwen, Levi Daniels and Cam Salyers, as well as the CMDZ Board, who helped paint.

“I keep telling everyone this upgrade moved us — we went from baby mode to toddler mode, when we moved into this building, and now I think we’re kind of up to those teenager years for us. I hope you guys enjoy it,” Falke said, before cutting the ribbon.

During the day, there were also some special stations, including a Plankton craft, where kids could make a SpongeBob-related craft of the character; slime making; playing The Floor is Lava, a bucket-toss game; family trivia and yard Jenga.

Of CMDZ, Falke said these kinds of spaces are important for children. “It’s just a great place for kids to get hands-on. There’s not a lot of places where the kids can actually touch and feel, and anything in this building they can touch and feel,” Falke said.

She noted that to get this kind of experience, kids would have to travel for several hours to Tulsa, Wichita, or Kansas City.

“A lot of our families can’t make it there, so this gives our small community an opportunity to have a big-city place to go,” Falke said.

Of the new addition, Salyers said he thinks it’s a great addition.

“We wouldn’t be here without the hard work of Becky,” Salyers said. 

Curious Minds Discovery Zone is located at 1610 S. 21st St. in Parsons. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.