8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 13-19, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Ashley Low was strolling around Del Monte Shopping Center when a cheerful display caught her attention. There was a moose, a goose and other figures, all colorful friends of Potter the Otter. A week later she brought her two kids—3-year-old Jaymi and her older brother Lucas, who is 6. “We wanted to check it out to see what it was all about,” Low says. What they discovered is a pop-up exhibit for young children, hosted by MY Museum and set up in a space by the shopping center playground—with different stations, all on a scale for kids to explore and have fun while learning. Potter the Otter: A Healthy Adventure features a play market, a coloring station, swan races and more, based on a book series of the same name published by First 5 Santa Clara County. Low was instantly impressed. “They’ve put some more thoughtful touches on trying to teach and educate kids,” she says, noting that Lucas liked the coloring station and swan race, while his sister spent more time in the kitchen. “She loves the pots and putting things in the oven,” Low explains. Before arriving in Monterey at the beginning of March, the exhibit was at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose. It is now on a road trip. “We are the first stop,” says Lauren Cohen, executive director of MY Museum, a nonprofit Monterey-based interactive museum for kids. As in the books, Potter hopes to make the water polo team. But to do so, the otter must learn to eat well and exercise properly—ditching soft drinks in favor of water and taking a break from social media to swim, walk or run. The exhibit form of the adventure features different stations, including a market with fruits and veggies where kids “buy” their groceries. They can smell the fruits and hear what sounds they make when they eat them. There’s a kitchen to prepare their meals and a dining room with different dishes kids can assemble. It’s designed for children ages 5 and under, with a crawlers’ garden for the youngest. Cohen says the market is a favorite spot. “The exhibit is all about eating with your senses,” she says. “[It] focuses on social and emotional health for kids.” According to Cohen, MY Museum doesn’t normally host traveling exhibits because of size constraints, but space was available at Del Monte Center. The partnership has been so successful that in the first month, around 2,500 children and parents (grown-ups get in free) visited the pop-up. On a Friday afternoon, Beau Jackson of Monterey was watching Esme, just 7 months old, in the crawlers’ garden. He says his older son Archie, 4, loves the exhibit. Archie’s favorite area is the pond, where he can build bridges with blocks. Since discovering the exhibit, Jackson adds, “He has come almost every week.” Karolyn Baker and her four kids— Christian, 7; Barbara, 6; Evelyn, 4; and Hanna, 1—were visiting the exhibit for the first time. Baker says she appreciates how kids can play by themselves or with other children with little parental interaction. “They just ran off and they were literally playing—and that’s the goal of a play place,” Baker adds. “We’re super into imaginative play.” Cohen says kids are learning critical thinking, negotiation and problem-solving through play. “We’re teaching kids how to learn, not what to learn—all the things we need to be successful adults,” she explains. Exhibit materials describe Potter the Otter as a place where “children play to learn”—and where “grown-ups learn to play.” Baker read the information at the exhibit, and notes that the tips for a healthier lifestyle are easy to understand and incorporate into one’s daily routine. The pop-up will be in place through May. Then the adventure will continue elsewhere. Potter the Otter: A Healthy Adventure is at Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey. Open Fridays 3-5pm, Saturdays and Sundays 11am-5pm. Admission is $3 for children, free for adults and MY Museum members. 6496444, mymuseum.org/potter. Play Time A pop-up allows kids to follow the fun adventure of Potter the Otter, while learning healthy habits. By Celia Jiménez Four-year-old Evelyn Baker plays with model vegetables as she learns about eating healthy at a pop-up children’s exhibit, hosted by MY Museum, at Del Monte Center. “We’re teaching kids how to learn, not what to learn.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Breakthrough Men’s Community is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 to provide men with the skills to free themselves from non-productive, painful, or unworkable patterns in their lives. Donate at: www.breakthroughformen.org LIFE TOOLS FOR MEN Transforming lives and communities better dads, better partners, better friends This popular workshop fills fast. Next workshop begins April 27, 2023! For more information, email enrollment@breakthroughformen.org
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