By Aditi Datta
Of all the things I remember from being six, there's jam sandwiches, not liking boys, and being told whenever we visited anywhere, under any circumstance, to not touch a thing. While jammy fingers are never cool and boys might seem ever so slightly better, the one thing that Gurgaon kids can celebrate is the no-holds-barred approach to getting their hands on everything.
Stellar Children’s Museum is based on the philosophy that play is learning and that hands-on is so much better than hands-off. Although this museum does have its share of exhibits, the style of learning is anything but passive. Children are encouraged to play, explore and experiment so they can learn intuitively about universal concepts such as gravity, fluid dynamics and cause-and-effect.
The seven galleries spread out over 11,000 square feet of space are dedicated to different interests like Science, Arts & Craft, Gross Motor Skills and so on. The Director of the museum is an ex-World Bank executive from Chicago, who identified a gap in the way kids received educational information; and so he tied up with an international firm to design this very smart space. But you can still spot local themes reflected in the material, such as the Buddh Circuit inspired giant F1 jigsaw puzzle.
We love all the colour and design and the funky playfulness that resembles the imaginary world of Dr. Parnassus. We love the sophistication and level of finish that we don’t see very often in the museum world. We geekily admit to loving the simple option of picking different wallpaper themes for the website – if that doesn’t say playful and interactive, what does?
If organised as part of a school trip, Stellar is happy to speak to the teachers and customise what they can to corroborate with the syllabus. If you’re off on your own, you’ll be happy to know that there is an educator at hand for overall content and a cafeteria for a pick-me-up if your little one has run your batteries down. Children aged 2 till 5 are required to have a chaperone, while kids 6 till 15 are free to explore under the watchful eye of the allocated supervisor in each gallery.
Open 7 days a week from 10am till 8pm, it’s time for the little ones to get all hands on deck.
Notes in our Little Black Book |
Stellar Children’s Museum is a pioneering concept in the area of interactive, tactile learning for children aged 2 till 15. Spread over 11,000 square feet, kids can explore the different themed galleries, all designed intelligently and beautifully. In a word, stellar.
Where: Second Floor, Ambience Mall, NH8, Gurgaon
Contact: +91-124-4665373
For more information {and to change the wallpaper theme!}: Click here
Or check out their Facebook page: Here
Prices: Entry for kids at INR 500 for one hour, INR 750 for 90 minutes and INR 1000 for unlimited time for a day. Adults are free.
