Interactive Children’s Story Exhibit Coming To Children's Discovery Museum Of The Desert

From CDMOD: Thanks to the generous support of BIGHORN members, there’s a new exhibit at the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert! Once Upon a Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales allows children to literally step inside beloved stories from around the globe with a hands-on installation that brings fairy tales to life.

The exhibit, which opens on Saturday, September 30, is designed for children ages 3 to 10 with their parents. CDMOD members can get a sneak peek at the exhibit on Friday, September 29.

Once Upon a Time…Exploring the World of Fairy Tales is the first nationally touring exhibit devoted exclusively to fairy tales and explores their cultural significance. The tales include Anansi and the Talking Melon, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Jack and the Beanstalk, Lon Po Po, and Thumbelina.

Each story is brought to life with its own large-scale environment and interactive components. Visitors enter a kingdom in which they learn the meaning of stories they've known all their lives, including:

Anansi and the Talking Melon – It's a jungle in there as visitors enter the world of Anansi, a mischievous spider from African folktales. Visitors will cross a wooden bridge, sit on the monkey king's throne, and play interactive games to discover all the ways that Anansi has tricked his friends.

Beauty and the Beast – Beauty, a selfless heroine who takes her father's place as a prisoner in the Beast's castle. Visitors will also get to enter the Beast's opulent palace, where they can play the harpsichord, look inside Beauty's dressing table and try on costumes.

Jack and the Beanstalk – The story of a small boy who outwits a giant ogre. Just like Jack, visitors will climb up the beanstalk into the ogre's oversized house. They'll hide in a cubbyhole while the giant shouts out "Fee-fi-fo-fum," play a magical talking harp and discover a hen that lays golden eggs.

Cinderella – Mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella until she meets her Prince Charming at a ball. Visitors will climb inside the pumpkin coach and see if the glass show fits.

Thumbelina – Wishes come true in this Danish tale from Hans Christian Anderson of a tiny girl who uses her mind instead of muscle to make her way in the big world. Guests will become pixie sized as they crawl through the mole's tunnel, pass the seasons with Thumbelina and search for the little fairy in her secret hiding places.

The Shoemaker and the Elves – This Brothers Grimm classic teaches that it's better to give than to receive. Visitors can recreate the story in a magical interactive picture box by changing the scene from day to night, and then get to work at the cobbler's bench making some fancy footwear of their own.

Lon Po Po – This 1,000-year-old Chinese tale is an early version of the Little Red Riding Hood story. Visitors will get to peer through a picture window and make the wolf pop up from beneath its covers, touch his bushy tail and use a rope to hoist him into a tree.

Once Upon a Time…. Exploring the World of Fairy Tales will be at the museum through Sunday, January 7, 2018. The Museum will offer enrollment programs and workshops on selected weekends and a fairy tale-themed Winter Discovery Camp. Please check the website and calendar of events for more details and specific program information.

For more information, please visit cdmod.org or call (760) 321-0602.