The North Platte Children’s Museum opened a new installation featuring BEAM by EyeClick. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Wellness Grant was created to assist the museum support a healthy community.
The North Platte Children’s Museum recently installed a “Healthy Living World” exhibit and workshop to encourage children to make healthier lifestyle choices. A Wellness Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska supported this new installation, which prominently features the BEAM virtual playground. The museum was one of nine organizations in Nebraska that received a Wellness grant.
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BEAM is a cutting edge system by EyeClick, which enables children to activate life size motion graphics and games through their physical movements. Children ages 2 and up can use their hands and feet to launch sounds and colorful images. A wide range of physical activities is involved including dancing, twisting and running.
Beatriz Reyna at KNOP-TV in North Platte, Nebraska recently covered the opening of this new installation in a news report. In this television coverage, Heather Halligan, Director of the North Platte Children’s Museum explained, “You can have little kids jumping, hopping, and running. This is a place where you can do all of the things that you normally wouldn’t be allowed to do indoors.”
In addition to the BEAM interactive playground, the museum exhibit also features educational workshops. Halligan added, “With childhood obesity becoming an epidemic across the country, this was a great grant and a great opportunity to try to be involved in improving the health of kids in America. Making the difference in the health of even one child means this was successful for us.”
The North Platte Children’s Museum is planning to add additional wellness programs, such as day camps that educate kids about healthy living. This 501(c)3 institution was originally opened in 1999. Its mission is “serving the needs of children, families, and schools as a center of learning and discovery.” The museum prides itself on its various interactive exhibits and hosts events, camps, and parties throughout the year.
