It all started with a book … 14 to be exact! Visitors to the Long Island Children’s Museum will receive a visual reminder of that fact as they step into a new traveling exhibit based upon the beloved characters created by the father of the modern fairy tale L. Frank Baum. Since its publication 110 years ago, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has enchanted generations of children around the globe, inspired countless movies and musicals, and launched the concept of the “children’s adventure series.”
LICM will be the first venue to welcome this enchanting traveling exhibit as it begins a national tour. Families will step into a larger than life, pop-up book and experience science, art and history through the magic of this timeless tale. The goals of the exhibition are
to promote character education, understanding of diversity and a love of reading.
Children will have the opportunity to:
Role play in Dorothy’s house
See the power of tornados as they crank up their own storm
Solve brain teasers alongside the Scarecrow
Learn heart facts with the Tin Man
Crawl through a cave to test their courage alongside the Lion.
A variety of themed activities and workshops to complement the key concepts introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz exhibit are in store during the coming months:
Ozapallooza offers visitors a sneak peek at this exciting new exhibit on Thursday, January 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Teamwork is the focus of a week-long (Feb. 15-19) collaborative sculpture project as visitors help build the Emerald City. Sculptor Meryl Taradash will lead a workshop on Feb. 13 in which children will create moving sculptures inspired by Baum’s Tin Woodsman.
During that same school break week, children are invited to create WIZzing whirligigs on Friday, Feb. 18. (View the LICM monthly calendar for upcoming Oz programs.)
Enjoy more Oz stories! L. Frank Baum wrote 13 sequels all of which were illustrated by John Rea Neill.
The exhibition was produced and developed by Great Explorations Children’s Museum of St. Petersburg, Florida; designed and fabricated by Bruce Barry’s Wacky World Studios of Oldsmar, Florida; with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The exhibition has been endorsed by The International Wizard of Oz Club and The L. Frank Baum Family Trust produced with assistance from scholars, collectors and enthusiasts who advised on its development.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
