Causes: Arts & Culture, Children's Museums, Museums

Mission: Please Touch Museum’s mission is to enrich the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play. We believe young children learn best when they are engaged in playful, hands-on experiences in a social environment that encourages interaction with others; and we dedicate ourselves to ensuring that children, regardless of economic background, race, religion, gender, or disability, have equal access to these experiences. Please Touch Museum’s hands-on approach to education has been validated by the research of experts like Dr. Howard Gardner of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He views a child’s sustained relationship with a museum as “a rich source of engaging projects which can pervade all educational environments, from home to school to workplace. ”

Target demographics: Families with young children.

Geographic areas served: Greater Philadelphia region

Programs: Please Touch Museum has sponsored multiple events through Variety, the Children’s Charity of Philadelphia, including Autism and Disability Awareness nights. Beginning in January 2010, Please Touch Museum will open Access/ABILITY, a traveling exhibition designed for children ages 5-12 and their families. This 1,200-square-foot, hands-on disability awareness exhibit presents people with disabilities participating in everyday activities and settings that are familiar to children. This exhibit will be accessible for children and families with physical, visual and hearing impairments and will raise disability awareness among museum visitors. The exhibit is sponsored by the Widener Memorial Foundation in Aid of Handicapped Children.