Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is a cultural institution serving children, families, and schools in the

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

. A member of the Association of Children's Museums and the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Children's Discovery Museum is located in downtown

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

on Woz Way. The street is named after Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer whose nickname is "Woz." Wozniak was the single largest private donor during the original capital campaign that funded the museum. The museum opened its doors in 1990, and over 9 million visitors have visited. The museum builds and displays interactive exhibits that responds to

early childhood education Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equival ...

. The purple building was designed by Mexico City-based architect

Ricardo Legorreta Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States of America and some other countries. He was awarde ...

, and houses of gallery space as well as a half-acre outdoor nature play space opened in 2017. The museum's exhibits, programs and initiatives have received local, regional and national attention. Among its exhibits are a two life size

Columbian mammoth The Columbian mammoth (''Mammuthus columbi'') is an extinct species of mammoth that inhabited the Americas as far north as the Northern United States and as far south as Costa Rica during the Pleistocene epoch. It was one of the last in a line ...

replicas, authentic explorable vehicles including a fire engine and a Wells Fargo stagecoach, and five visual and performing arts spaces. The museum is known for its Cultural Celebrations series highlighting the culture and traditions of the diverse population groups represented in this

majority minority A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population. Ter ...

region. Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose has been ranked by '' Child Magazine'' as one of the top 10 children's museums in the United States and ranked by the '' London Observer'' as one of the top 5 science centers in the world.

Exhibits and programs

Children's Discovery Museum hosts exhibits, programs and events for families with for children age 10 and under that emphasize hands-on, experience- and

inquiry-based learning Inquiry-based learning (also spelled as enquiry-based learning in British English) is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teache ...

. Exhibits include ''Bill's Backyard: Bridge to Nature'', a half-acre outdoor nature exploration space; ''Mammoth Discovery!'' an exhibit about

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

, and the

scientific method The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific ...

; and ''Waterways'', where children engage in water play and observe

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

principles by interacting with a water

vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in ...

, observing laminar flow in action, and experiencing

fluid pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

and flow. Noteworthy programs of the museum include a Cultural Celebrations series; performances by local arts organizations; and events highlighting healthy nutrition and physical activities. Programs in the community include BioSITE,

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

in partnership with local schools; Youth Programs which reach children after school and during summers; and a partnership with Educare

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

that combines exhibit installations and classes for children and parents. The museum's Legacy for Children fundraising event has honored notables including

Mr. Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Kristi Yamaguchi Kristine Tsuya Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an American former figure skater. In ladies' singles, Yamaguchi is the 1992 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion (1991 and 1992), and the 1992 U.S. champion. In 1992, she became the first ...

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts ...

Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, and author. In 1971 she opened Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for pioneering Californi ...

Ronnie Lott Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Lott played college football for the Univ ...

Sonia Manzano Sonia Manzano (born 1950) is an American actress, screenwriter, author, singer and songwriter. She is best known for playing Maria on ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Her mem ...

, and

Ruby Bridges Ruby Nell Bridges Hall (born September 8, 1954) is an American civil rights activist. She was the first African-American child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegreg ...

Discovery Youth

Discovery Youth is a program where youth from grades 5 to 12 have fun learning and helping in the museum. They do many projects in computers with programs like Photoshop, Premiere Elements, Flash Creator and many more donated by the Adobe company. They make fun little arts and crafts in the museum on Saturday from 10am to 1pm for the museum visitors. They even have their own website

BioSITE

BioSITE was launched by the museum in 1993 as a unique "action-science" education program. Currently the program engages 1,500 students each school year in the importance of environmental responsibility and inspires the love of science through authentic field research conducted biweekly in the Guadalupe Watershed. This program is intended to take science learning out of the classroom and moves it into the real world. The students are given the experiences of biologists, conducting research along the river. Their research is monitored at the Coyote Creek Ranger Station.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Children's Discovery Museum Of San Jose Children's museums in California Museums in San Jose, California Museums established in 1990 1990 establishments in California 1990s architecture in the United States Postmodern architecture in California Ricardo Legorreta buildings

Exhibits and programs

Discovery Youth

BioSITE

See also

References

External links