Our Mission

It's been just a little over a year since our then small team went public with our dream to found a children's museum in Oneonta. We sold baked goods, took signatures, and met the public at The Grand and Glorious Garage Sale on Main Street. Soon after, we started planning Paintfest! which was a success by all accounts. Since then it's been a wild ride, from New Year's Eve activities, to Science Saturdays, Books Alive, the Ice Cream Social in Wilber Park, even our first exhibit, Trains! Trains! Trains! At some point, we chose our name: Oneonta World of learning (OWL). This month, The Cooperstown Graduate Program students are going to present the result of a semester long research project toward the development of our master plan. It's hard to believe that our Second Annual Paintfest! has now come and gone.

There's so much work ahead, it can feel overwhelming, yet the journey thus far has already changed my life. My job as a Java programmer is a direct result of web programming classes I took just so I could help out with OWL. More than that, I've grown more capable both as a parent and an individual. My kids have been on stage, made phunny putty, sprouted beans, created taleidoscopes, and shared a world's worth of experiences that would never have happend without my involvement in this project.

Just the same, this is a good time to regroup and restate our mission:

A children’s museum is not a museum in the classic sense. Exhibits are meant to be hands on, with engaging, kid-friendly activities. In The Children’s Museum at Oneonta, we will provide children and those who care for them with an interactive and engaging environment for exploration. Visitors will gain an understanding of their place in the local community and subsequently the global community through hands-on, minds-on discoveries.

We envision a world where children will grow to be creative, confident, and caring members of society by discovering the essential components of community. Children will become active problem-solvers through invention and guided play. Far from being controlled play, guided play simply means that a minimum of inspiration, ideas, or parameters will be provided to engage children’s interest in an activity.

There, I've said it! And I'm focused once again on the goal.