Why should Wild Child: Museum & Menagerie exist? (And how you can help make that happen!)

There’s been a lot of forward momentum for Wild Child: Museum & Menagerie lately, and what better time to pause and articulate the mission, vision, values and more? We want to make sure all our future patrons and followers know exactly what our purpose is for existing and what they can expect as we work on opening to the public.

So, if you want to learn more about what services Wild Child will offer and what kind of space it will eventually be, then read on!

About Wild Child: Museum & Menagerie

Wild Child: Museum & Menagerie will offer a one-of-a–kind sensory, social, and learning experience that evokes the natural world and examines our place within it, centering on how animals – especially mammals – care for their young.

Wild Child: Museum will be an exotic educational destination and community gathering place for young children, parents, and the people who care about them. It will feature installations on the world’s wonderfully diverse mammal species and be full of opportunities for interactive and developmental play.

Wild Child: Menagerie will be an extraordinary collection of “wild animals of the tiny human variety,” featuring drop-in daycare services, day camps, and special events. Both arms of this nonprofit will benefit from an embedded bakery & café. The cozy café space will satisfy patron’s hunger pangs and social cravings alike as they attend playdates and birthday parties or rent a private desk to sneak in some work while their little ones play. 

Highlights will include:

• A mammalian-themed museum & “menagerie,” or collection of wild animals, including those of the tiny human variety
• An exotic destination that creates wonder for visitors of all ages – from neighboring towns/counties and tourists
• A family-friendly space where young kids can play in a safe and stimulating environment & enjoy healthy cafe offerings
• Year-round programming for families, including kids’ camps and life skills classes (e.g. cooking & baking, fitness, and meditation) 
• Drop-in child care for parents doing remote work or quick errands, made affordable with monthly membership options
• A cozy place to meet other caregivers and build community through play groups, mom/dad meet-ups, and parenting classes
• A fun and educational attraction for children of all ages to learn about and better appreciate our place in the natural world

Our ideal space:

We don’t have a physical location yet, but here are some priorities as we conduct our search for the perfect site. (A quick note: we are prepared to start small and work our way up to achieving this complete vision of our facilities over time, as needed!)

1. Commercial site in Shenandoah County (or a property that can be used for mixed use) in order to serve customers between Harrisonburg and Winchester, where the next nearest children’s museums are located
2. Flexible indoor space plus some peaceful outdoor space would be optimal so that we can bring parties, classes, and special events outside during periods of nice weather
3. Minimum 2,000 square feet of space (up to 4,000 square feet) to fit our desired museum floor exhibits, play areas, kitchen and café seating space, a separate room for parties or special events, plus private desk rental and office space needs (for coworking). Additional storage space would be helpful to rotate toys and keep extra supplies
4. Commercial kitchen capability so we can offer a wide selection of food and beverage options in the café (and ability to meet all other local health codes)
5. Adequate entry and exits, bathrooms, parking spaces and just floor space in general to support visits from patrons of varying family sizes, abilities, and life circumstances. We hope to be ADA compliant and to be right nearby public parking or ideally have our own parking lot with dedicated spots for handicapped patrons, expecting mothers and families with new babies. 

What can you do to help make this dream a reality?

1. Join our Board of Directors (we are hoping to recruit 1-3 new members before the end of 2024!) We are especially interested in members with expertise in early childhood development, biology or zoology, museum studies, accounting, and/or business law. Please contact Rosie Lynch (rosie@wildchildmuseum.org) for more information!
2. Make a financial contribution: Your donations will fund toys and books, larger equipment, supplies for special events, and basic costs of operating the nonprofit. This does NOT include compensation for the founder, directors, or any employees as everyone is pitching in as volunteers at this time. You can also sponsor a museum exhibit (or experience) based on a select species if you want to make sure your favorite mammal is represented!
3. Got a passion or skill you want to share with local families? We’d love to incorporate it into an upcoming event, whether that’s yoga and you’d like to facilitate a “Mommy & Me” mindfulness class, or cooking and you’d want to help put on a fundraising dinner party, or woodworking and you’d like to help build some larger climbing structures, or childcare ‘cause you just can’t get enough of babies!
4. Donate gently used stuffed animals (as long as they’re MAMMALS) or books about mammals to use in these early stages until we’re ready to open up our dedicated location. At that point we hope to have enough funds to buy new, high quality toys and items by securing additional funding, but that still may be a long while off.
5. Follow our Facebook page or Instagram account and interact with our posts there and share the word. Also don’t forget to send this blogpost to other friends so they can sign up to receive updates and learn more!