Discovery Playhouse closing for renovations, new exhibit construction

A planetarium -- a theater -- a firehouse -- these are just a few of the 29 exhibits at Discovery Playhouse. The museum now seeks to add even more, according to the museum's executive managing director Michael Toeniskoetter.

Discovery Playhouse in downtown Cape Girardeau will close Sept. 11 through 18 as staff build two new exhibits and renovate the museum located at 502 Broadway.

Toeniskoetter said the renovations are part of a push to establish Discovery Playhouse as an educational hub in the community.

"Our museum has been handled kind of like an indoor playground for quite some time, and we're trying to re-own that museum distinction," Toeniskoetter said.

One new exhibit will be ocean themed and emphasize recycling and sustainability. Renovations include expanding the museum's upstairs science lab so it can host more science demonstrations and programming.

Once completed, the renovated science lab will host "Science Saturdays" full of science-related activities and demonstrations.

At the ocean exhibit, children will learn about the depths of the ocean and how to recycle through educational displays. A fish tank will be installed and coral structures built for kids to play hide-and-seek in.

The renovations will also involve installing a new World War II exhibit made in partnership with the Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Missouri.

The exhibit will include a station for kids to write letters to active service members. Inactive munitions provided by the Stars and Stripes Museum will be on display. A "Trench HQ" display will teach museum attendees what life in the trenches was like during the war.

"One of our main goals is to appeal more to schools for field trips," Toeniskoetter said. "We don't want them to have to go out of our city to experience these types of things."

Fun for all

New exhibits and renovations are just small parts of the changes made to Discovery Playhouse this year.

In March, the museum launched Playhouse Cupboard, a program for families or veterans to receive free boxes of food. There are no eligibility requirements because, "You can't play if you're hungry," Toeniskoetter said.

The museum also implemented a program called Museums 4 All to grant individuals on federal food assistance programs free entrance into the museum.

Toeniskoetter said museum staff take extra effort to provide kids something to do, especially if their parents or guardians struggle. Finding free events for kids to do in the area around Discovery Playhouse can be difficult, he added.

An increasing number of people have used Museums 4 All. Sixty-seven visitors utilized the program in May. The number jumped to 385 in July.

"We want every child to be able to see that they can be whatever they want to be and everything is open to them," Toeniskoetter said.