Parents & Caregivers

This exhibit invites our visitors to enter the “curiouser and curiouser” world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. By highlighting specific elements from the story, we introduce families to the following play concepts:

Modeling Play

• Family interaction is a key component of the Please Touch Museum experience. Grown-ups are encouraged to play in all exhibit zones. By having fun and modeling play, adults are able to demonstrate to their child the possibilities that each exhibit holds. Children learn from their grown-ups, but they also learn from their peers. Discover the Hall of Doors and Mirrors with your child by opening doors, pushing knobs and turning keys.

Reading and Literacy

• Whether children are sitting alongside the Mad Hatter for afternoon tea, or preparing a stew in the duchess’ kitchen, they are practicing their imaginative thinking skills. Dressing up as Alice, the Mad Hatter or as a playing card helps a child imagine that specific character’s unique personality traits, and then act them out.

Curiosity and Investigation

• When children are faced with an unfamiliar setting, they learn to adapt and really take in that new environment. The Hedgerow Maze provides a great opportunity to explore surroundings through your child’s senses. Kids may like the way something looks, such as the turf-like walls of the maze, then they investigate further by using their sense of touch. The exhibit is also full of optical illusions, which look at perception and how we see things.