Dans Papers - June 1, 2007 - CMEE's "Wild About Plants"

"Wild about Plants" is the newest featured exhibit at the Children's Museum of the East End (CMEE) and it really lives up to it's name - it's a truly "wild" exhibit. Heading through the doors of the museum, my husband, 3-year-old son and I all felt like we were entering a child's dream. The interactive exhibits were colorful, informative and fun.

If you have ever asked the question, "What is that tree thinking," the "Listen Up" exhibit will give you an answer. It gives children a chance to "be a tree" by writing how they feel and what a tree might say. With the quote, "Kids have told me how they think trees feel, if you were a tree what would you say," children are provided with paper and pen and can complete a drawing, write a poem or share their feelings about nature. My son wanted to know why trees don't wear coats in the winter. It is a good question and the exhibit provided the answers.

We loved the pen and paper idea of writing down thoughts and we were told that there was an opportunity for the children to make a journal in the art room. This was so much fun and we met up with Melissa Wilmott and her two beautiful daughters. Directions were clearly written on the table and all materials were provided. The garden journal was adorable when assembled and my son proudly used his the rest of the visit.

With journal in hand, we headed back into the exhibit. We wanted to try to answer our son's question and stopped at the "Look Closely at the Wood" display. My son looked at the inside of a tree stump and we were able to explain about the grains, growth rings and knots within the wood. We learned that rings are uneven if a tree is in an area with high winds and we were able to show my son the layers of bark and answer the question, why doesn't a tree need a winter coat? He stopped, sat down and drew a picture of a tree in his journal.

We stopped next at the "Design your own plant" display, which teaches children about the parts of the plant and their functions. Soon I heard "mommy come quick." Thinking injury, disaster, displays knocked over by an exuberant 3-year-old, I hurried over to where the voice was coming from to be pleasantly surprised to see my son in the puppet theater putting on a show about plants for his dad. He wanted me to see.

This display was a lot of fun. Children are provided with puppet characters and given a laminated script that is really great for the older child who reads. Your younger child can just have fun putting on a show and it's a great time for you to sit on the provided bench and take a break. Soon a birthday party arrived with boundless energy and we moved on to give them their turn in the puppet theater.

Our last stop was the Interactive Kitchen display. This display provided food products for the children to sort into categories, whether they are from the plants fruit, leaves, root or stem. My son drew a carrot in his journal and proudly yelled out "root" when he was done. Then quickly announced that he was "hungry, hungry, hungry."

All too soon our time was over, but you can bet that we'll be heading back.

For more information on the "Wild about Plants" exhibit on display through September 13 and the other wonderful classes and programs at the museum please call (631) 537-8250 or visit www.cmee.org.