The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and Health Care Excel Present Health House: A Place to Learn and Play! Grand Opening on Saturday, March 3, 2007

There’s a new house in the museum neighborhood — Health House, a new permanent exhibit opening at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis presented by Health Care Excel.  Health House is designed to assist children and their families make healthy lifestyle choices. The exhibit is made possible through a generous gift from Health Care Excel (HCE), a private, non-profit consulting organization committed to improving the quality of health care. Health House located in the ScienceWorks gallery on Level 4 will open March 3, 2007, during National Nutrition Month® designated by the American Dietetic Association.
 
“With the assistance of Health Care Excel, The Children’s Museum will create an extraordinary experience for children and families to learn about healthy behaviors at an early age, said Jeffrey H. Patchen, president and CEO of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. “That is a critical link in building a foundation of healthy behaviors for a lifetime.”
           
“Health Care Excel, Incorporated is pleased to continue its support of worthwhile community projects as part of its nonprofit corporate mission.  The partnership with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is an exciting opportunity to share with the community,” said Sharon Smith, CEO of Health Care Excel.  “Health House’s target age group is children between the ages 4 and 8, we’re pleased that the exhibit reaches out to all age groups making it a fun experience for everyone.”

The exhibit was developed with information from families and children, as well as experts in the health professions. A member survey, which generated hundreds of responses, and an in-house survey of museum visitors helped the museum’s exhibit development team identify what visitors wanted to see covered, the topics their children were interested in and the healthy habits parents wanted their children to develop. As the team started to create the exhibit, they obtained guidance from an advisory committee of individuals made up of key health professionals, including nutritionists, a pediatrician, a dentist and a physical education teacher.  All of the input obtained helped the exhibit team develop Health House, an exhibit that is both informative and fun.

As visitors step into the house, a grandfather clock will remind visitors to “take time in your day for active play” by showing examples on two video screens. Active play does not necessarily mean working out — it means doing active things together as a family such as raking leaves, walking the dog or playing a game of Twister. Visitors can watch the active play videos while sitting on a couch, but if they get too comfortable they’ll be reminded to get and up and get moving! They won’t have to move too far, just to the front yard where museum staff will lead families in fun, interactive play and provide examples of easy and inexpensive games that visitors can do at home.

In the kitchen and pantry, visitors can see what kinds of options they have for healthy snacks and learn how to read a food label. Knowing how to read labels will assist parents as they work at providing a variety of healthy options at mealtime. Children can take responsibility by tasting a variety of foods and by learning how to self-regulate what they eat. The kitchen table area will help emphasize the importance of eating together as a family, as this simple activity has been shown to have a positive effect on weight management and school performance.

Other rooms in the house are focused on the second purpose of the exhibit: helping children develop healthy habits. In the bathroom, children can practice washing their hands properly and practice proper dental care. In addition, parents can learn about safety precautions in the bathroom and can use the special on/off light switch to see where germs can lurk. In the bedroom, children will find out how important it is to get a good night’s sleep.
           
Health House is playful and fun, a place where parents can pick up useful information to put their families on the road to better health.

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The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a non-profit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families.  The 433,000 square-foot facility houses 11 major galleries.  Visitors can explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures, the arts, and see how dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago in Dinosphere: Now You’re in Their World® and experience Fireworks of Glass, Dale Chihuly’s largest permanent installation of blown glass.  The Children’s Museum, situated on 13 acres of land in Indianapolis, presents hundreds of programs and activities each year.  For more information about The Children’s Museum in English and Spanish, visit Children’s Museum.org.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St. The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Open Mondays, March – Labor Day only.)  General admission prices are: Free for youth under 2, Youth (2-17) $7.50, Adult $12.50, Seniors (60+) $11.50.  Annual membership fees are: Individual $55.00, Family $80.00, Family +2 $100.00, Grandparent $80.00, Grandparent +2 $100.00, Premier $150.00 (effective 1/9/07)