Pretend City Children’s Museum is a nonprofit children’s museum in Irvine, CA. The museum features 17 interactive exhibits designed as a small, interconnected city. Pretend City aims to “build better brains†through purposeful play, hands-on learning experiences, role playing, and educational programming. In addition, the museum offers community resources such as developmental screenings and tools for families, educators and community agencies.
In 2014, Pretend City was voted Best Museum in Orange County by OC Hot List and was Parenting OC Reader’s Choice for Best Indoor Play Place.
History
Pretend City Children’s Museum was founded by philanthropists, Alexandra Airth and Sandra Peffer. Its first educational program was a mobile fieldtrip experience in 2007 called “Pretend City on Wheels.†In July 2009, Pretend City launched a 10-year countywide program designed to educate the community, parents and care givers about the importance of regular developmental screenings for children, specifically infants to age five. On August 30, 2009, Pretend City opened its doors to the public and became one of the major children’s museums in Orange County. Pretend City held its first Family Autism Event in April 2010 which invited families with children on the autism spectrum to play in a friendly environment and interact with local support agencies. In November 2010, the museum was awarded “The Possible Dream†grant by The Festival of Children Foundation and OC Register, which funded autism programs and enabled Pretend City to hold two events a month for those affected by autism, such as creative relaxation classes, family autism day, and an autism workshop. In its 5 years of operation, Pretend City has become a community resource, offering classes for children and parents, outreach programs, teacher trainings, and fieldtrips opportunities.
Exhibits and Special Programs
Pretend City’s kid-sized environment includes exhibits modeled after the different facets of a city. Children are offered employee timecards and encouraged to punch in at different work stations where they can get paid with Pretend City cash. The exhibits include an Amphitheater, Art Studio, Bank and ATM, Beach, Café, City Hall and Lobby, Construction Site, Emergency Services with Dispatch Station, Police Station, and Fire Station, Farm, Gas Station, Grocery Store, Health Center with Doctor’s and Dental Office, Marina, Orange Plaza, Our Home, and Post Office. Pretend City is also home to the Imagination Playground, which is an innovative playground equipment system designed by David Rockwell that encourages self-expression through open-ended play. Pretend City also features daily original themed art projects in the Art Studio, daily events that offer engaging activities, crafts, and story time, and a Headin’ Home Hero Parade that concludes a day at Pretend City with music and dancing. Pretend City’s calendar of events also comprises of special holidays that highlight and celebrate diversity.
In addition to its exhibits, Pretend City offers educational field trips and classes. Pretend City combines the principals of Piaget and Vygotsky in their educational philosophy, which follows as, “Simply put: Children learn best when they’re actively having fun at it!†Pretend City’s educational framework is Social Constructivism, which is exhibited through hands-on learning experiences and an interactive, social setting.
Good To Go From Head To Toe
Pretend City’s Good To Go from Head To Toe initiative educates parents, caretakers and the community about the importance of having children (0-5) receive regular developmental checkups as part of routine, well-child visits.
The classes and special events offered by Good To Go help parents and caretakers engage with their children to support the development of:
- Movement and muscle skills
- Communication and expression of emotions
- Play and social skills
- Thinking and problem solving skills
Good To Go offers monthly programs such as Baby Steps Through Pretend City (which specializes in infant development), Way To Play Days (which incorporates a play guide that was designed to feature activities in the museum and engage parents to learn about their child’s development), Family Autism Events, and Developmental Screenings. Good To Go also hosts an annual family wellness fair which offers free health screenings, nutrition education, and health-related vendors. The health screenings for children younger than 5 include hearing, speech and language, behavior, weight, fine and gross motor, and dental screenings.
Support
As a non-profit organization, Pretend City Children’s Museum greatly depends on generous contributions from individuals, corporations, grants, and foundations to help fund the operations of the museum. In addition, from exhibit support to administrative assistance, volunteers make a valuable contribution towards helping Pretend City provide vital educational experiences for children and their grown-ups.
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