MINDS-ON FUN TAKES PLACE OF HANDS-ON INTERACTIVES!

Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center to reopen July 7
Media Open House on July 7 from 10 a.m. to noon
 
SUGAR LAND (June 29, 2020) – Imagination, curiosity, creativity, and inspiration are not cancelled.  Discovery happens at Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center – A Playground for Your Mind™!  The Discovery Center will reopen its doors on July 7 after temporarily closing for four months due to COVID19 pandemic.   Following CDC, state, and local guidelines, the Discovery Center reinvented the visitor experience using outside-of-the-box thinking to continue to provide a safe and imaginative place for learning. 
 
MEDIA OPEN HOUSE
Media is invited to check out all the changes we have made from 10 a.m. to noon during an open house on July 7.  Since we’re capping the number of folks coming in at any given time, please RSVP to hyau@cmhouston.org by July 6 to confirm your attendance.
 
BEFORE YOU LET YOUR MIND COME OUT TO PLAY – EPIC ADVENTURE CHECKLIST:
 

• Plan for It.  Our hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  We will adjust the flow of visitors through timed tickets, pre-reserved entry and exit times. 
• Buy Online.  Buy your tickets in advance!  Timed entry tickets for two-hour visit will ensure a consistent flow of families at a 20-percent capacity.  Buy tickets now!
• Rock the Mask.  We will check your temperature before entry using no-touch thermal scanners like in airports.  Proceed to the hand sanitizing bars and then scan your online reservation at the Welcome Center.  It’s all contactless!  Plus, remember to rock the mask!  Grownups, children ages 2+, and Discovery Center staff must wear masks that cover the nose and mouth to enter the Discovery Center.  And now, let your mind come out to play! 

 
MINIMIZED HANDS-ON COMPONENTS.  MAXIMIZED MINDS-ON DISCOVERIES
Eat your heart out, Indiana Jones!  Minds-on fun will take the place of hands-on interactives as visitors go on an “Epic Adventure” scavenger hunt throughout the Discovery Center to earn the prized “gold” coin and become charter members of the “Adventure Society.”  Upon entering, claim your individualized “Epic Adventure Pack” sponsored by Union Pacific, which will include tools you’ll need to do activities on your own and an “Epic Adventure Atlas” to help you spot clues within the galleries – all while remaining physically distanced from other families.  Explore four Adventure Zones on a one-way trail and collect clues at each zone to decode a secret.  When you decipher the codes, you have completed your Epic Adventure and earned your coin to become part of the Adventure Society. Please note Tot*Spot is on pause for now.

SQUEAKY CLEAN IS ALWAYS IN!
The Discovery Center’s robust cleaning practices have leveled up!   A larger cleaning crew – one for each gallery – will disinfect surfaces, components and “high touch” areas, like door handles.  Wipes and “dirty bins” will be available for used toys.  In addition, we’ve installed five-sneeze guards, 10-hand sanitizing stations, one-hand sanitizing bar, HEPA filters, additional UV lights in our air ducts and removed nine-hands-on components.  We circulate fresh air in our building frequently each day.  Deep cleaning with oxychlorine disinfectant will occur nightly.  Our staff will be required to wear masks and our staff will be at each gallery encouraging families to maintain six feet of physical distance.
 
VIRTUAL LEARNING ENDURES - #CMHVIRTUALLEARNING
If you cannot or do not wish to visit us during our first days back, we completely understand and look forward to welcoming you when you feel more comfortable returning to the Discovery Center.  In the meantime, keep visiting, connecting, and learning with our sister location’s online stars by tuning into Daily Virtual Learning Broadcast Schedule on Children’s Museum Houston’s social media pages.  So far, our Virtual Learning has generated nearly 3-million views on all platforms combined.  And Forbes says, “the warm personalities of their employees and community members jump right off the screen and make for an engaging and informative experience.”
Daily Virtual Learning Broadcast Schedule:
 

• 10:15 a.m.  Mr. O on Facebook (STEM topics with Museum’s in-house science guru).
• 11:15 a.m.  Story Time (English/Spanish/Bilingual) on Instagram.
  • Sponsored by Phillips 66/Pi Beta Phi Foundation Houston.
• 12:15 p.m.  Educator Moment on Facebook (All sorts of topics)
• 3:15 p.m.    Tot*Tunes on YouTube.
  • Sponsored by McGovern Foundation/Kathrine McGovern.

 
 
 
ABOUT FORT BEND CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY CENTER
Ranked as one of the “Top 10 Things to Do in Sugar Land” on TripAdvisor, the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center is a Playground for Your Mind™.  It is dedicated to transforming communities through innovative, child-centered learning with a vision to spark a passion for lifelong learning in all children.  Located at 198 Kempner St., Sugar Land, TX 77498 in the Historic Imperial Market, the Discovery Center offers a multitude of innovative exhibits and bilingual learning programs for kids ages birth to 12 years.  Admission is $12 per person and $11 for seniors 65 years and older and for members of the military.
 
HOURS are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Buy tickets in advance!  We will adjust the flow of visitors through timed tickets, pre-reserved entry and exit times.  For more information, please visit www.childrensdiscoveryfb.org or call (832) 742-2800.  Can your mind come out to play?™