It’s 9:45 a.m. on a muggy Tuesday morning in early July, and outside The Bucks County Children’s Museum, excitement runs high. Toddlers wiggle in their parents’ arms while preschoolers race back and forth for one more peek through the window. These little ones may not be able to tell time yet, but they know this much: Any minute now, the doors will open and the fun will begin.

By 10 a.m., that anticipation spills inside. Parents pause to check in, but the children are already moving ahead, scanning the museum for the place they want to begin. Some return to a favorite exhibit while others rush toward something new. In the hospital section, a child leans over a patient with a doctor’s tool in hand. Nearby, another works through the aisles of the child-sized market, fully absorbed in the work of play. Soon, there is a hum of conversation and make-believe in a place designed to let kids lead.

Something for Every Child

There is a sense of independence throughout the space that is intentional. Every exhibit is designed with young children in mind but also with attention to the different ways children move, communicate, and process information. “We look at wheelchair height, we look at reach,” says Executive Director Kelly Krumenacker. “We have water, we have air, we have sound. We try to hit all the major senses but not make it too overwhelming.”

That balance matters especially for children with sensory sensitivities, autism, or other developmental or physical needs. The museum regularly hosts autism awareness open houses and special events during which staff adjust the environment by limiting sound or reducing the number of people in the building. “We adapt to whatever the kids need,” Krumenacker says.

For Krumenacker, accessibility also means thinking beyond the children who are able to visit regularly. Admission is kept at $9 per person, and the museum participates in Museums for All, which offers reduced admission to families who receive benefits such as EBT or WIC. The nonprofit also works with United Way of Bucks County to create hundreds of summer educational kits for children across the county. Because New Hope is not on a public transit line, Krumenacker hopes the museum can eventually offer mobile or pop-up experiences across Bucks County.

A Vision Takes Shape

The emphasis on accessibility grows naturally out of Krumenacker’s background in education. Before founding the museum, she earned dual degrees in elementary and special education from La Salle University and taught K-5 special education. In the classroom, she saw how powerful hands-on, multisensory learning could be, especially when children were given different ways to participate and explore.

Eventually, Krumenacker began to wonder how she could expand that vision beyond the classroom. She had long loved visiting children’s museums with her own family and dreamed of bringing something similar to Bucks County. “I was drawn to children’s museums because they are designed around this idea, to create environments where children can explore and discover in their own way and at their own pace,” she says.

The Children’s Museum of Bucks County was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006. By 2010, it had taken over a former Michener Art Museum satellite. Local artisans and community members spent what Krumenacker describes as “a furious summer” transforming the 5,000-square-foot site into an interactive play museum that opened in November 2011.

“We thought that we would have maybe 100 memberships that year and maybe 10,000 guests,” she says. “Instead, we welcomed 20,000 visitors in our first year.” Today, the museum has grown to about 1,200 memberships and 10,000 square feet of exhibit space.

Community on Display

That growth has continued through the museum’s most recent renovations, funded by the Unplug & PLAY campaign, which focused on removing screens and giving children more opportunities for hands-on, imaginative play. Krumenacker and Assistant Director Gabrielle Kanter worked with designers and community partners to create exhibits that expanded on their larger vision. “We worked with an architect from Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to create the flow,” Kanter says.

Staff also looked at what continued to pique interest and what exhibits were no longer working as well. The children offered the most honest feedback simply by how they used the space. “We’ll create something to be looked at, and then the kids will say, ‘Oh, this is something we can climb on,’” Krumenacker says with a laugh. “And I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no.’ They’re always guiding us.”

The result is a museum that feels both playful and deeply rooted in Bucks County. The town square invites children to move through a community built at their scale. The hospital area includes an ambulance, an X-ray viewer, an operating table, and Rescue Randy. The Fred Beans service station is modeled after the company’s first 1958 service station, while the Washington Crossing exhibit was developed with input from Washington Crossing Historic Park.

For Krumenacker, the renovations reflect both community support and a common vision. “The museum’s renovations are a testament to what can happen when the community comes together with a shared commitment to invest in our children,” she says. “Seeing the wonder on kids’ faces when they enter the new exhibit areas and hearing their excitement and laughter is the greatest reward we could have received.”

Learning Through Play

Bryan, the father of 4-year-old twins, says his family has been visiting The Bucks County Children’s Museum for years yet the museum still feels fresh. “No matter how many times we visit, my kids always find new things to do,” he says. “What an incredible spot for kids right here in our backyard.”

Jackie, a first-grade teacher from Bucks County, calls it “the best learning by playing place around,” adding that “the kids soak up so much information without even knowing.”

While adults may understand the educational importance behind the exhibits, perhaps the smiling faces of children rushing through the door every morning ready to choose the day’s adventure are the best mark of the museum’s success. “This is very much open-ended play, and we want them to choose their own way of learning,” Krumenacker says. “We don’t direct the kids.” At The Bucks County Children’s Museum, the message is simple: Come in, explore, and let the children lead.

Lela Casey has been writing professionally for over 15 years. She and her family live in Doylestown.

Photograph by Jennifer Janikic Photography