Exhibit Feature Friday

At the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), we use the word exhibit to describe the interactive experiences, spaces and displays spread across three floors and immediately outside the facility at 250 Thompson’s Point Road. CMTM is home to over 15 exhibits, each designed to encourage experiential learning through open-ended play.

Our team at CMTM decided to give each exhibit the spotlight it deserves and is dedicating Fridays to highlighting a new exhibit, diving a little deeper into the WHY and HOW behind each playful space and experience.

EXHIBIT: Our Neighborhood, Transportation

Location: 2nd Floor

Our Neighborhood is an exhibit designed to reflect Portland’s urban port city and surrounding area. It is an open-ended play space featuring multiple activity zones where children and their families can roleplay, tell stories, and make-believe together. Today’s Exhibit Feature focuses on the themes of Transportation, with a previous feature highlighting Wellness and Safety and a future feature focusing on the Working Waterfront.

Our Neighborhood invites children to take charge of the world that grown-ups usually control. By taking on the roles of community “experts,” children can develop confidence and empathy while engaging in imaginative play.

Transportation

In Our Neighborhood: Transportation, visitors explore the many ways we get from place to place. A child-size train station and Jetport invite children to plan and act out their own incredible journeys while considering the people, places, and things they’ll encounter. This exhibit builds social and life skills while allowing space for imaginative play.

Train

All aboard! In the Train section, generously sponsored by Amtrak Downeaster, visitors can buy and sell tickets at the Train Station, check their boarding times on an interactive arrivals/departures schedule, then board The Amtrak Downeaster train for a comfortable ride to their destinations. The train features a passenger car as well as a freight car. Guests can stash their luggage in the freight car, then settle in for their journeys. They can also step up to the engine car, take on the role of engineer, and drive the train! The train’s engine car includes steering controls and a gear-operated bell.

Jetport

At the Jetport, sponsored by the Portland International Jetport, visitors can check their bags and climb aboard their own single-seater plane. They can also climb up the Air Traffic Control tower, listen to the PWN radio chatter, check the radar for incoming flights, and make sure everyone makes it to their destination safely. Floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Fore River and Portland International Jetport make this space feel like an airport.

Look the Part

Each section of the Our Neighborhood exhibit includes special props and costumes to help visitors get into character. At the train station, there are conductor’s hats and waistcoats, as well as a working cash register to assist with ticket sales. At the Jetport, guests will find suitcases and luggage, along with child-sized safety vests, just like those worn by airport ground crews.

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Train made possible by a generous gift from Amtrak Downeaster

Jetport made possible by a generous gift from Portland International Jetport

Learn more about the Our Neighborhood Exhibit here: https://www.kitetails.org/exhibit-our-neighborhood

Read the Our Neighborhood: Wellness and Safety Exhibit Feature here:

https://www.kitetails.org/news-blog/exhibit-feature-friday-our-neighborhood-wellness-and-safety

Coming Up Next:

Tune in next Friday for Our Neighborhood: Working Waterfront!

Exhibit Feature Friday: Our Neighborhood, Transportation