The Magic House of St. Louis: Check Out the City's Only Children's Participatory Museum

When I walked into the museum, it immediately brought back memories from my childhood. Suddenly I was nine-years-old again. I saw pulleys to my left. Children jumped onto them then tried to pull themselves in the air using ropes attached and mere arm-strength. Many were actually successful. I shook my head in disbelief, remembering I had been to small to lift myself up, but at the time I was not discouraged. I simply moved on to the next exhibit excitedly. Standing in this place years later, I was still as amazed and excited as I had been many years ago.

The museum I had returned to was no ordinary place. It was the Magic House, a participatory museum in Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb west of St. Louis.

When the Magic House opened on Oct. 16, 1979, its co-founders Jody Newman and Barbie Freund had one major goal in mind, which later evolved into the museum's mission statement: "To provide children with hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, creativity and the development of problem-solving skills." These two St. Louis moms did everything short of standing on their heads to achieve this goal. Almost 20 years later, the museum still fulfills the women's wishes to provide a positive, educational and overall fun experience for adults and children alike.

As Newman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Oct. 14, 1979, two days before the museum's grand opening, "Please don't call it a children's museum. It's not just for children."

The museum proclaims its target audience to be anyone ages "1 to 101," because no one can be too old to learn and have fun. I should have recognized this as a child going down the 3-Story Slide with my mother laughing as she slid down behind me.

Even the co-founders, though no longer in the spotlight for their creation, appeared to be big children themselves. "It's so exciting when you're working on the third floor and the phone rings, because the slide is the quickest way down," Freund said in the same 1979 St. Louis Post Dispatch article. Freund and Newman's enthusiastic attitudes about fun and education played a significant role in the museum they created. Before they even began working on their museum, the moms visited numerous other participatory museums to gather ideas.

"They had visited other children's museums in other states and thought St. Louis should have one," said Erin Scribner, director of development for the Magic House. "It is one of the only children's museums in the state."

Their efforts paid off. During its first year of operation the museum, which the moms originally designed to accommodate 30,000 visitors each year, welcomed 165,000 visitors.

The Magic House offers fun exhibits as well as educational programs for children to participate in. A variety of programs are tailored to help children master different circumstances. Among these is a program to help small children and teen parents through special activities, the Visiting Artist Series that exposes children to art, and an indoor camping experience for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

Despite the apparent reason families might find the museum attractive - unlimited playtime - the museum's home-like setting also lures families. Newman and Freund raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through fundraisers and donations to turn what was once the home of George Lane Edwards, a well-known insurance broker at the turn of the century, into the St. Louis Magic House.

"They wanted a place kids would feel comfortable," Scribner says.

Today the museum houses exhibits and memoirs of Edwards, his family and business, and other reminders of the time period, including a room in the house called "Edward's Attic," which contains old clothes, teapots, desks, a mirror and other historical pieces.

Children aren't the only ones who feel a sense of comfort in the house. I, too, felt at ease knowing everyone was there to help me any time I had a question or concern.

As I proceeded on my journey through the museum, I discovered the Shadow Wall, one of my favorite exhibits as a child. I vividly remembered jumping up and down with my brother and cousin, posing in front of the phosphorescent green wall and eagerly awaited the flash to freeze our shadows on the wall. As I stood reminiscing, I watched the children in the room who were no different than we were.

As I continued on my journey, I noticed the museum's unique structure. Apparently, the Magic House has undergone several renovations and enhancements since its grand opening, expanding the lobby and reception area, adding an elevator to give access to all visitors, and in 1997, literally doubling its size. The expansion in 1997 cost $4 million and was made possible through the support of numerous corporations, foundations and individuals through the St. Louis-area and beyond.

The idea proved to be successful. At the end of 1997, more than 400,000 people had visited the museum from as far away as China, making it the 3^rd most attended children's museum in the nation.

But expansion ideas did not stop there. In summer 1999, the museum celebrated its 20^th anniversary by opening the new Fitness Safari exhibit for ages 8-14. The exhibit includes an ultimate jungle gym, which allows children to challenge both their minds and bodies.

The museum is fun for everyone who visits and provides flexible times and days of operation enabling all to enjoy its magic. It is open year-round, Sunday through Saturday. Admission is $7.50 per person and is free for children under one-year-old. There are also special group rates (visit www.magichouse.org for more information).

As I made my final rounds through the museum, I contemplated taking a plunge down the gigantic spiral sensation known as the 3-Story Slide. Watching nearby, an attendant smiled at me knowing I wanted to go for it. After a few seconds of thought, however, I made a U-turn, thinking the next time I visited I would bring my little cousins with me. Until then, I would settle for the Secret Staircase and its amazing ... now you know I can't reveal what I saw. It's a secret ... Shhh!