Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia splashes into summer with new exhibits

At the Hands On Children’s Museum this summer, life’s a beach.

The museum, whose annual Summer Splash activities begin Friday, June 25, is launching a set of new exhibits as part of its outdoor Puget Sound beach area — and one of them, a concrete boulder designed for climbing, is a tribute to the late Hannah Steinweg McDonald, a longtime employee of the museum.

Besides the boulder — which is 10 feet high, 14 feet long and 7 feet wide — the revamped beach area offers kids the opportunity to dig for replicas of dinosaur bones and sift through sand in search of toy treasures.

The boulder, with handholds for climbing, was inspired by McDonald’s love of the beach and of challenges and by the national trend of adventure playgrounds, said Patty Belmonte, the museum’s executive director.

The boulder might sound dauntingly big to concerned parents, but part of the idea is to allow kids to sense into what feels safe and take some risks so that they develop the skills they’ll need to make good decisions as they grow.

“Climbing is an awesome activity to help children develop body strength and coordination but also less obvious skills like problem solving and appropriate risk taking,” Belmonte told the Olympian. “We want to provide opportunities for safe risk-taking so kids get the chance to develop that part of their brains. When they’re climbing, kids have to think about where to put their hands and feet to make the next move. As they tackle the problem and solve it, they build confidence.

For safety, staff will monitor the area, and adults must supervise the kids they brought to the museum, she said. Handholds that kids can grab for climbing are located high enough that toddlers won’t be able to reach them.

Much of the funding for the boulder came from those who knew McDonald, who was instrumental in the development of the museum’s Sand in the City fundraiser. McDonald, who worked at the museum from 2000 to 2010, passed away Dec. 31.

“She was such a loved employee of the museum,” Belmonte said. “After her death, hundreds of people in the community reached out to us and said, ‘We’d like to do something. How can we honor Hannah?’ ”

The museum received donations of funds and also of services. “There were 11 companies that donated construction services because they had worked with Hannah when she was managing Sand in the City.”

The museum board decided on the boulder, which McDonald’s two young sons were the first to climb on. “Hannah loved the beach,” Belmonte said. “She loved to meet challenges. This exhibit captures so much about who she was.”

The boulder and the new Dino Dig area, where kids can uncover replica dinosaur bones, will be part of the year round outdoor play area and open whenever the weather allows.

The opportunity to sift or sluice for treasure, Gold Rush-style, is a new summer-only activity.

Also back for the summer are Sock Skating, where kids can “skate” on the slick surface that professional ice skaters use for practice in any weather, and Mud Pie Mondays, where kids can fill a pie plate with a mudlike mix of sand and water and decorate it with natural treasures.

Summer Splash activities also include a sailboat regatta with child-made boats (July 27-Aug. 1) and visits by local artists Mary Jane Ides (July 9 and 10), Isobel Coney (Aug. 6-7) and Mimi Williams (Aug. 26-28); storyteller Itsa Shash and Olympia Poet Laureate Ashly McBunch (July 17 and Aug. 29), who’ll be taking kids on a word scavenger hunt.

“We’re looking to have as many interesting exhibits and activities as possible available for the kids,” said Beth Garson, the museum’s communications manager. “Summer Splash is all about filling in the gaps and keeping kids learning over the summer while they’re not in school.”

Summer Splash at the Hands On Children’s Museum

What: The museum, which is opening new beach-themed exhibits, has a summer full of activities planned to keep kids having fun and learning.

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with 9-10 a.m. Sundays reserved for sensory-friendly play

Where: 414 Jefferson St. NE, Olympia

Tickets: $12.95-$14.95, with free admission for members and babies and free-$2 admission for those with electronic benefit transfer cards. Timed-entry reservations are required.

More information: 360- 956-0818; https://www.hocm.org/

Also: The museum is operating at a reduced capacity, and face coverings are required for visitors 5 and older and strongly encouraged for 3- and 4-year-olds.

This story was originally published June 24, 2021 at 5:45 AM.