Meet ‘Kenya’s Kids’

Discover what life is like for children in Kenya when the Creative Discovery Museum opens a new exhibit, “Kenya’s Kids,” on Saturday, Jan. 18.

Families are invited to explore Kenya, a country both technologically advanced and filled with long-held traditions, without leaving Chattanooga. The opening of “Kenya’s Kids” will be coupled with an event from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, during which families can experience a cooking demonstration, hear a live music performance, participate in a language activity and hair braiding all led by Kenyan-born members of the Chattanooga community.

“CDM is committed to hosting cultural exhibits every year and we are excited to host our first exhibit solely focused on a country in Africa,” said Henry Schulson, museum director. “’Kenya’s Kids’ allows families to explore a culture they may not be familiar with in a fun, immersive, playful way.”

As children and their caregivers travel through five immersive environments, they can compare similarities and differences between their lives and those of children living in the East African country.

ACTIVITIES

› Families will explore a rural home as they learn about water conservation, use a Khanga cloth to carry a baby on their back or dress as a Maasai, one of the 43 ethnic groups in Kenya.

› Children can learn Swahili using touchscreen notebooks just like students in Kenya.

› Visitors can convert dollars to shillings and “shop” in an outdoor market and at a duka, tiny shops found throughout Kenya, as they learn about the country’s advanced phone-based financial system called M-Pesa.

› At the national reserve, children can role play as a ranger and drive a safari vehicle to learn about the animals that live on Kenya’s vast savanna. Life-size sculptures of native African animals, created by local artists in Nairobi, can be seen throughout the exhibit.

› Children can further explore animal conservation as they become a keeper at an elephant orphanage that cares for abandoned baby animals.

CDM will host “Kenya’s Kids” through May 25.

For more information, visit https://www.cdmfun. org/.

CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Children can dress in Maasai attire and explore a rural home in “Kenya’s Kids” exhibit.