New museum exhibit to focus on children’s health

by Ben Sehnert

news@thenewsleaders.com

After an afternoon of opening its doors to area schoolchildren, the Stearns History Museum celebrated the arrival of its newest exhibit with sponsors and museum members on the evening of May 26. The exhibit, entitled “Healthyville,” is geared primarily toward families, teaching them the importance of exercise and nutrition through multiple interactive displays.

“Healthyville” represents a new kind of endeavor for the museum, focusing on children’s health rather than history. Jim Davis, the museum’s chief executive officer, explained in the future people might expect to see exhibits similar to “Healthyville” more often.

“In our strategic plan, we began to look at the potential of a children’s wing in order to approach children and get them engaged in the museum’s activities,” Davis said. “To see how the market would react to a children’s wing, we thought it would be good to bring an exhibit to town on a rental basis.”

The exhibit’s focus on healthy living coincides with the nationwide push to combat pediatric obesity. As a response to the concerns about inadequate exercise and poor nutrition, the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Conn. developed “Healthyville” as a traveling exhibit that supports the maintenance of healthy lifestyles. The exhibit has already moved across the nation, coming to the St. Cloud area from San Jose, Calif.

Ann Meline, who conducted the search that selected Healthyville as a potential exhibit, is the museum’s chief operating officer. The exhibit’s emphasis on health and its interactive approach convinced her to bring it to Stearns History Museum.

“We have never had a children’s exhibit in Central Minnesota, so this is a treat,” she said. “It’s really unique for the area and fits into community initiatives such as healthy living.”

The sponsors and friends of the museum had nothing but praise for the exhibit after experiencing the various displays for themselves. Museum guests could balance meals and exercise on a scale, pin muscles on a diagram of the human body and select recipes for several tempting (but healthy) meal choices.

CentraCare Health is the presenting sponsor and has collaborated with Stearns History Museum in bringing the exhibit to St. Cloud. The aims of the exhibit complement CentraCare’s own health initiatives, making the partnership between the museum and the healthcare provider an excellent match.

“Pediatric obesity is a problem CentraCare has been addressing primarily through the BLEND program,” said John Schnettler, CentraCare Health’s director of marketing. “We have seen progress in improving rates of pediatric obesity, but it continues to be a focal point for the CentraCare Health Foundation. Healthyville fits perfectly with CentraCare’s own mission of promoting wellness and disease prevention.”

However, in order to achieve this goal, Healthyville speaks not only to the children but to adults. Many of the displays are informative both for children and for those who buy the groceries. According to CentraCare Clinic President Dr. David Tilstra, this ability to speak to both children and parents is essential.

“In any family, everybody needs to be involved in order to change what they do,” Tilstra said. “Even though the exhibit is targeted to children, parents will learn something from this if they are willing to take a look and interact with the exhibit.”

Museum members who visited the exhibit also enjoyed interacting with the displays and admired the exhibit’s timely message.

“Very well done and informative,” said LuBell Kendall, a long-time friend of the museum. “It’s colorful and grabs your attention. We especially need this for kids because people don’t always make the best choices for their health.”

The Healthyville exhibit will be open to the public at Stearns History Museum until Sept. 4. The exhibit is bilingual (English/Spanish). The cost of tickets for those who are not members of the museum is $7 for adults and $3 for children.