London Children's Museum

Children's museum in London, Ontario

42°58′45″N 81°15′46″W / 42.9791°N 81.2629°W / 42.9791; -81.2629TypeChildren's museumVisitors100,000FounderCarol JohnstonExecutive directorAmanda ConlonWebsitewww.londonchildrensmuseum.ca

The London Children's Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum located in London, Ontario, Canada.^[1] It was the first children's museum established in Canada,^[1] founded in 1975 by Carol Johnston two years after visiting Boston Children's Museum during a family trip. As of 2021, the museum receives 88,000 visitors each year and has an operating budget of approximately $1.2 million.^[2] Its current executive director is Amanda Conlon.^[1]

The original museum was based in the old City Centre.^[1] After several moves in its early days, it acquired the building of the former Riverview Public School in 1982 with a grant from the Richard Ivey Foundation.^[1] In 2014 it sold the Wharncliffe Road building to a London developer, but will remain a tenant until at least 2021.^[1]

The museum will move to a former and refurbished Kellogg's cereal plant in the city's east end factory district at 100 Kellogg Lane.^[2] ^[1]^[3] The museum will occupy the building's fourth floor, which has 25-foot (7.6 m) ceilings.^[1]^[3] After the move, the museum plans on creating new exhibits.^[1] In 2018, the museum hired an Oakland, California company to design the exhibits in the new building.^[4] These include eight "immersive and interactive areas for children and their families", among them a garden patio, a main street-themed exhibit, a river-themed exhibit, and a room dedicated to archaeological discovery.^[4] It will also include a large rooftop playground.^[3]

Exhibits include Bellina, a whale skeleton suspended in the atrium, an arctic exhibit, and a dinosaur exhibit.^[1]

Affiliations

The Museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "London Regional Children's Museum to find new home in old Kellogg's plant". CBC News. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b Simon, Amy (12 October 2021). "London Children's Museum begins moving process after 40 years on Wharncliffe Rd S". 1069theX. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ibeto, Ozioma (15 May 2018). "London Children's Museum reveals new location". Global News. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
^ ^a ^b "London Children's Museum unveils new look designed by California firm". CBC News. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2019.