Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech, is known across the country as a town that values higher education, and with the vision of a local mom, it may also become a town known for educating young minds.

Janine Kniola, a full-time software product manager and mother of two, has begun an effort to open a children’s museum in Blacksburg.

“My family relocated from Portsmouth, N.H., where they used to have a children’s museum,” Kniola said. “So I’ve seen other communities prosper with a children’s museum, and we’re in such a vibrant educational community that could really benefit from having programming and a place to take young children.

The museum’s exhibits are geared to focus on hands-on play and learning; interactive activities introducing anything from the sciences, technology, architecture, history, culture, and construction; musical stimulation; dramatic play; creative arts; and physical play. Through the museum’s activities, they hope to inspire children’s curiosity through the exploration of science, technology, the arts, and regional heritage.

The Children’s Museum of Blacksburg made its first effort at Summer Solstice Fest with its traveling exhibits, which featured various educational activities for children of all ages, including creating a giant spider web out of bamboo and yarn, splashing around in a mini-duck pond, and learning how to milk a cow.

“I think the children really enjoyed all the activities that we had,” Kniola said. “While we were showing them how to milk the cow, we would have conversations with them about how farmers used to do this all the time, and I think it was a little overwhelming for them. It’s not always just about play but also having that educational component.”

The proposed museum’s next appearance will be at the 30th Annual Steppin’ Out festival in Blacksburg on Aug. 6-7 where they will have similar activities to those at Summer Solstice Fest.

Kniola’s long-term goal is to find a permanent home for the museum. “We recognize that we have a lot to do before we can establish a permanent place,” Kniola said. “We have a lot of fundraising that we would need to accomplish in order to sustain a space.”

Kniola and other volunteers for the museum have started investigating grants they can apply for as well as feasible spaces to house the museum. They hope to kick off a capital campaign to start a large-scale fundraising effort.

They have also met and talked with Blacksburg Town Council, which, Kniola said, has been very supportive of the museum’s goals, opening discussions about the new Arts Initiative at Virginia Tech that includes plans for the Center for the Arts building, which will be located at the intersection of North Main Street and Alumni Mall.

“They recognize that museums are economic drivers for the community,” Kniola said. “When a museum opens people are going to want to visit it, which means they’re spending the day in the town, getting lunch in the town, maybe even dinner, or even staying the night.”

The museum also plans to put out a call for ideas for future exhibits, both for the traveling exhibits and for when the museum has a permanent location. “We hope that maybe some Virginia Tech students or any member of the community will take on a creation,” Kniola said. “It’s all about engaging the community and getting people involved.” An official Call for Exhibits form will soon be available on the museum’s website

Anyone in the community can get involved with the museum in many different ways. You can make a financial donation on the Blacksburg Children’s Museum’s website, which is powered by Click & Pledge, an online fundraising software based out of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. You can also volunteer to work with any of the committees including events, fundraising, corporate relationships, exhibits, programming, and marketing. The museum’s biggest volunteer needs currently are with fundraising and investigating and writing grants.

“We’d love for the community to be involved in any way they can, and we’d love anyone who’s willing to give time to our organization,” Kniola said.

Anyone interested in any of these volunteer opportunities can go to the museum’s website and click on the “Contact Us” link to learn more about how to get involved.

Lindsey Macdonald is a Virginia Tech student and an intern for the New River Voice.