Toronto’s first and only children’s museum,
Children’s Discovery Centre a downtown pop-up where imagination is a must-have
Jeanhy Shim’s “mid-life crisis passion project” doesn’t involve a sports car, exotic travel or daredevil adventures.
It includes boisterous, giggling children and 20,000 square feet where they can ride trikes, dress up, paint, paddle, twirl, read and let their imaginations run wild in 10 zones with themes such as camping, nutrition and make-believe. They can shovel, shop for groceries, play veterinarian to stuffed animals or make music with instruments from around the world.
Shim, a condo market strategist and analyst with Housing Lab Toronto, is the driving force behind Children’s Discovery Centre, childrensdiscoverycentre.com, Toronto’s first and only children’s museum. Designed for youngsters aged 6 and under, it has opened as a temporary pop-up space at Garrison Point beside Liberty Village.
“Eleven years ago, I was in San Francisco visiting my nieces, who were 2-years-old at the time, and we went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum,” Shim says. “I remember walking around the space and thinking it was amazing.
“Even though I didn’t have a child of my own at the time, I realized that Toronto didn’t have a children’s museum and I thought, ‘One day I’m going to bring this to the city.’ ”
She felt that need on a deeper level — for a place where young kids could be engaged and entertained — six years ago when she had her daughter, Maya.
Shim’s condo research also showed a growing number of city dwellers choosing to raise families in condos, as she has done. “There has been a downtown baby boom happening,” Shims says, and based on Statistics Canada data, she projects the number of families with young children residing in the downtown core will triple over the next decade.
Shim’s company, along with Heads Up, a consumer research firm, is launching a study of urban families in Toronto, exploring how and where they want to live. About 30,000 ur- ban families are expected to visit the Children’s Discovery Centre during its six months as a pilot project, and they will be asked to participate in the study.
She started planning the Children’s Discovery Centre 18 months ago and as CEO, assembled an advisory board of child development experts and educators. Build Toronto and develop- ment firm DiamondCorp. donated the pilot project site at 45 Strachan Ave. Giovanni Tassone was the architect on the project and Skygrid Construction renovated the space. Other founding partners include Garrison Point, Friendship in Action, Giannoe Petricone Associates and Roug Consulting.
Gerry Mabin, who taught at the Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto and founded the private Mabin School, is an adviser for the children’s museum and says it fulfils the vision to provide young children a place to discover, share and use their imaginations in an environment free of technology.
“I think Toronto has been needing a place where children can roam and play and make choices,” says Lisa Grassa, a teacher at the Mabin School, whose students were invited to give the centre a test run prior to its May 23 opening. “My first impressions are that it’s really a wonderland for children. There are so many different discovery zones . . . it really is a place where children can make many choices and can be free to do whatever they want.”
Sarah Horgan, also a teacher at the Mabin School, was also enthusiastic.
“I think this place is incredible, where there is no end and you can revisit and revisit and your children would still find it exciting and engaging and would learn from it,” she says. “It’s something we were missing in the city.”
Aaron Lazarus, parents of 4-yearold twins, heard about the centre from friends and dropped by with his kids.
“It’s great. It’s huge and there are lots of different rooms, lots of toys. There are physical things to do, arts and crafts, there is dress-up, there is a reading corner . . . there are a lot of parks and outdoor spaces downtown but not a lot of indoor spaces and places to discover.”
Parents must accompany their children at the centre. Trained facilitators — early childhood educators or teachers — are on hand. Doors open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 45 Strachan Ave. Admission is $13 per child or adult.
“I thought, ‘One day I’m going to bring this to the city.’ "JEANHY SHIM FOUNDER OF CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY CENTRE