Mission & Vision

The Discovery Museums inspire enduring curiosity and love of learning through interactive discovery, hands-on inquiry and scientific investigation.

The Discovery Museums (TDM) will be the leading regional resource for the advocacy of discovery learning and environmental stewardship.  We will provide engaging and supportive settings for hands-on experiential learning and scientific investigation.  TDM will nurture curiosity and creativity, while fostering the exchange of ideas and life-long learning.  Children, adults, and educators will be inspired to be informed and contributing community members.

History

The Discovery Museums began with a stated community need for interactive, educational experiences for young children and their families in a museum setting in the Massachusetts region northwest of Boston. Founded by Acton resident Donald B. Verger and an original Board of community educational and leaders, The Children’s Discovery Museum opened in 1982. The Museums have evolved from a community-based children’s museum to an organization of two museums: a children’s museum and a science museum governed by a Board which has community, educational, and business representation on a local and national level. The Museums utilize advisors from the fields of early childhood, elementary, science and technology education and research; from preschools, elementary schools, junior and senior high schools, and universities. In its first year of operation, the Children’s Discovery Museum served 40,000 visitors. Currently, both Museums serve over 140,000.

The Children’s Discovery Museum

In response to developmental needs and learning styles of toddlers through early elementary school children, The Children’s Discovery Museum (CDM) is a hands-on, experiential, exhibits-based children’s museum.  CDM is located in a 3500 sq. ft., 120-year-old Victorian house abutted by conservation land. The natural setting and historical aspects of CDM's architecture are restored and maintained to compliment the community’s residential architecture and conservation land integrity. Exhibits are located in each room of the Victorian house, making creative use of all floors, walls, ceilings and closets.  The principal of “learning through play” based on the child’s natural developmental growth continues to be the underlying philosophy of all CDM's programs and exhibits.

The Science Discovery Museum

The Science Discovery Museum (SDM) was developed in response to the community’s need for supplemental education and cohesive, interactive experiences in the sciences and math for older children, their families, and educators. SDM opened to the public in 1987 following a highly successful fundraising campaign which reflected local and national support from corporations, foundations, and the community. The exhibits and programs of SDM are thematically based and coordinated according to specific sciences and are primarily designed for children ages six through teen years. Housed in an award-winning, three-floor, 8500 sq. ft. structure located behind the CDM and nestled in a wooded landscape.  Exhibit theme areas and educational programs are designed and presented to engage the natural developmental growth of children and their need for in-depth experiences with educational content for discovery and exploration.