Where children connect with what’s real. Around them, and within them.
Sensorium is a center of engaging sensory exhibits for children located on the top floor of the Foothills Arts Center in Elkin, NC. The space overflows with hands-on experiences that are thoughtfully designed to make the most of a child’s senses, expand their minds, and help them feel at one with the universe.
Why we’re building this
Sensorium is driven by our mission to serve children, backed by our lifetimes of educational experience, and grounded in our devotion to worldly interconnection. We strive to:
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A field trip, beyond your average museum.
Made mindfully for children in their most wide-eyed, absorbent developmental stages, Sensorium takes STEM a step further and teaches first that each child is a vital and vibrant part of the world around them. By empowering this deep sense of connection with nature, visitors (of all ages!) are intrinsically inspired to learn in a way that lingers long past the Exit sign.
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Excitement and curiosity, ignited naturally.
It’s in the name. This is first and foremost a place where children learn and grow through connection with the senses. Our studied programming reaches deeper into the hearts and minds of our young ones to create an immersive emporium that feels more like dreaming while they’re actually learning.
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New worlds, explored together.
This is where we discover who we are, side by side. This is where lasting bonds between child and caregiver are created with every visit. This is where childlike wonder does not expire. Adults and caregivers feel encouraged into an active, nurturing role, while of course having a little fun themselves.
What we whole-heartedly believe
We are intentional educators. Inspired artists. We are unshaken optimists about the future of the world. And we’re the Sensorians. Here’s what bonds us together:
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Sensorium Children’s Museum is established by educators who devoted their careers to the proven child-centric curriculum of Montessori programs. Honoring the spirit of Maria Montessori and her belief that “all things are part of the universe,” we are bringing these techniques home to a region that currently has few options for children’s activities rooted in play, curiosity, nature, and interconnectedness.
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Fun, exploration, and wonder is what brings meaning to what we learn in classrooms. We have diligently studied and researched the type of hands-on programming that allows for each unique imagination to color the textbooks, which is proven to create a more lasting impression. It’s hard work, but it’s our life’s work—and through it we’ve discovered our own dedication to play.
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Sensorium puts children up-close with nature, helping them to understand their personal relation to the birds, bees, and buds that are growing in cycles alongside them. We work with community partners to help kids take the knowledge they learn here, and apply it in the real world, connecting them more deeply with the natural world around them.
“The child gives us a beautiful lesson – that in order to form and maintain our intelligence, we must use our hands.”
- Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures
to connect children to science to connect senses to learning to connect adults to children to connect to community
to connect children to science to connect senses to learning to connect adults to children to connect to community
Ready to get involved?
This is your opportunity to sponsor something that could make a transformative impact on local families. Let’s chat about how we can work together. Submit the form below and we’ll be in touch.
