During the planning and construction phase of the new Museum, the National Children’s Museum is reaching out to the region and the nation with school and community outreach programs, traveling exhibitions, and programs in partnership with other organizations, as a Museum Without Walls.

On a national level, NCM’s Five Friends from Japan, an exhibit on contemporary Japanese school and home life, is traveling to museums across the country and was most recently on view at Port Discovery in Baltimore. NCM also recently published Family Literacy Activities on a Budget, a train-the-trainer guide for educators looking for ways to create family literacy awareness using children’s literature, arts and crafts, music, drama, and low-cost and recycled items. The guide was launched at the National Center for Family Literacy conference in Louisville, Ky., in 2008.

On a local level, NCM has partnered with Imagination Stage, a children's theater in Bethesda, Md., to create a traveling exhibit titled Language for the Eye. The exhibit promotes awareness and respect of deafness, deaf culture, and the accomplishments of deaf individuals. Throughout the spring of 2008, Language for the Eye traveled to third grade classrooms at ten schools, an arts center, and three public libraries in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Family programs were presented by both NCM and Imagination Stage, including a performance by Imagination Stage's award-winning Teen Deaf Access Company.

Recently, NCM brought Blood and Guts, a traveling exhibit about human physiology, to four Title I Prince George’s County Schools. The Museum also co-presented a summer camp with the Accokeek Foundation in Prince George’s County.

In addition, the Museum presented kids and family programming at National Harbor’s American Market, featuring regional vendors, every Saturday from May through October 2008. After a successful summer series, the Museum was invited to participate in National Harbor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Market on Saturdays during the winter season, and will partake in both 2009 markets as well.

In addition to the Museum’s outreach programs, children from around the region and across the country have an opportunity for hands-on participation in the Museum’s development. In the spring of 2009, the Museum opened the Launch Zone at National Harbor, a 2,700 square-foot space on Waterfront Street. Open to the public seven days a week, the Launch Zone is a place where children can prototype exhibit components and programs, share their ideas about what should be included in the new Museum, and participate in programs related to the Museum’s core content areas.

Through the use of images, table-top interactive exhibits, and computer kiosks, NCM introduces select areas of the Museum, while soliciting feedback and input from constituents. Visitors learn about the Museum’s mission and areas of engagement, in addition to other family friendly programs and partner organizations. The Launch Zone also hosts ongoing Museum Without Walls programming, professional development workshops and trainings, and community learning events for parents and caregivers.

Complementing the Launch Zone is a new “virtual lab” on the NCM website where kids from across the country and around the world have an opportunity to test exhibit and program content and help shape the Museum through an interactive experience [link to the lab page here]. NCM belongs to the nation’s children and this online experience provides another powerful opportunity for them to share their voices and influence the Museum’s exhibit and program content. Eventually, the online Lab will also link parents, caregivers, and educators with Museum-related content that supports family and school learning as well as information on issues affecting children locally, nationally, and globally.