See museum through kids' eyes

It is one thing to look at the Children's Learning Gallery through the eyes of an adult.

But it is another to see what this area adds to the museum when children are at play.

That's what I had the chance to see when a staff member at the Lake County Discovery Museum invited me to bring my children, Molly, 7, and Harrison, 4, to try out all the gallery has to offer.

Harrison immediately had a fondness to putting the red, yellow and green leaves into the leaf-blowing log and watch them fly out. He would giggle and do it over again.

Molly used her creativity to present a puppet show to tell a story between the owl and skunk.

The kids also proved there is no right or wrong way to use what's there when they grabbed leaf-shaped rugs and made a path around the room.

"There are ideas we'd like to get across and hope they take something from the space," exhibitions manager Steve Furnett said.

While seeing the educational value the gallery brings to children, the kids showed the gallery can be fun - based on their reluctance to leave.

"Can we stay here?," Molly asked.