Children’s Museum of Atlanta to welcome ‘Magic Tree House®’ September 24, 2016 –January 16, 2017

Young explorers are invited to swing into adventure at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s newest feature exhibit Magic Tree House®, an educational traveling exhibition created by The Magic House® and based on the best-selling children’s book series written by Mary Pope Osborne. Taking root in Atlanta September 24, 2016 –January 16, 2017, visitors will branch out through three periods of American history including the first Thanksgiving, the Civil War and life on the prairie circa 1870. Guided by Jack and Annie, two ordinary siblings from Frog Creek, Penn., children of all ages will exercise their imaginations with interactive activities and simulations via a magical, time-traveling tree house!

“With each exhibit that we bring to the Museum, our goal is not only to provide families with entertaining experiences, but to offer ones that tie together education with the power of play,” said Jane Turner, executive director of The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. “The Magic Tree House is a spectacular example of merging fun with educational elements, and we are looking forward to Atlanta’s reaction to the new exhibit!”

The 2,000 square foot literacy-based exhibit allows imaginations to grow as children explore history through three immersive environments featuring period costumes, props and more than 30 hands-on learning activities. Visitors will begin their journey back in time in the grand tree house itself, where they will choose which experience to embark on first. Whether it’s aiding Civil War nurse Clara Barton in a field hospital, coming face-to-face with the thundering sounds of a swirling twister or attempting to prepare the first Thanksgiving the Pilgrim way, fun and adventure await in the Magic Tree House®!

Exhibit experiences include:

The Tree House
Guests will explore Jack and Annie’s magical tree house in the woods where their time traveling adventures begin and end! While there, children will kick-start their historical trips by choosing from three of the siblings’ favorite periods of American history. Visitors will also explore the magical possibilities of more exciting books while in the tree house!

Civil War on Sunday
In this exhibit experience, children will travel back in time to discover the Civil War and learn how to care for others regardless of who they are. Interactive activities include:

• Climbing in a horse-drawn ambulance for a bumpy ride
• Visiting the Drummer Boy’s tent and try playing the drums
• Finding the hidden message in the drummer boy’s music
• Dressing up in traditional clothing worn by Civil War nurses and drummer boys
• Taking on the role of a volunteer nurse helping Clara Barton in a field hospital
• Playing an old-fashioned game of checkers or Shut-The-Box on a barrel

Twister on Tuesday
Children will be blown away as they experience life on the prairie in a one-room school house during the time of westward expansion and learn the importance of perseverance from the school teacher Miss Neely. Guests will explore this period in America history through the following activities:

• Role-playing as the teacher and students in a one-room school house
• Practicing handwriting exercises from the McGuffey Reader on a large chalkboard
• Crawling into a storm cellar and experience the sounds and feel of a tornado
• Solving a puzzle to see which train makes it all the way to the west coast
• Dressing in traditional clothing worn by pioneer children traveling west across the prairies
• Pretending to be a conductor moving levers and blowing the whistle on a steam locomotive

Thanksgiving on Thursday
Prepare to be whisked away to 1621 and observe the first Thanksgiving Day! Jack and Annie will share what they learned from their visit to the Pilgrim settlement, as little explorers have fun in the exhibit with these hands-on activities:

• “Riding” in a boat similar to one the pilgrims used to get from the Mayflower to Plymouth
• Climbing Plymouth Rock
• Digging for crabs and clams at the beach
• Dressing up in traditional clothing of the Pilgrims people
• Gathering vegetables from the Pilgrims’ garden
• Helping prepare a turkey and other traditional dishes
• Setting the Thanksgiving table for the first feast
• Exploring life in a traditional pilgrim house
• Grinding corn as the Native Americans did
• Breaking the code on a special Thanksgiving puzzle to learn about the magic of community”
• Hearing what Jack and Annie learn from their visit to the Pilgrim settlement

Presented nationally and developed by The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum®. The Magic Tree House® Traveling Exhibit is based on the Magic Tree House® book series written by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murducca and used with permission of Random House Inc. All Rights Reserved. The exhibit was created by The Magic House® and made possible by generous support from the Crawford Taylor Foundation. It is presented in Atlanta by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Major funding for this organization is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

Entrance to the exhibit is included in each regular admission to Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Admission for ages 1-100 is $14.95 (+tax). Children under 1 are free. For more information about the Magic Tree House® exhibit at Children’s Museum of Atlanta, visit bit.ly/CMAMagicTreeHouse.  

For more information or to support Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit childrensmuseumatlanta.org
or call 404.659.KIDS [5437]