Arts and crafts, Lego building, space exploration, farming opportunities, and sea life discovery returned for kids when the Santa Maria Discovery Museum welcomed the public and celebrated its re-opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce on March 18.
The Discovery Museum opened its doors—with modified hours—after 22 months of being closed due to the pandemic restrictions, Program Manager Donna Beal said.
“It’s wonderful,” Beal said. “Families are so happy when they come through the doors, even though it’s modified hours for the weekends.”
Beal credited the museum’s survival during the pandemic to its board of directors, which made sure the museum had enough money in its reserves to allow the museum to stay closed until it was safe to reopen, she said.
“We followed the COVID protocols in place from the California Public Health Department specific to K-12 schools and child care centers, largely because that’s the audience in the museum and we want to make sure this is a safe place for kids to play,” she said.
Now masks are optional in the building, and the museum follows a modified schedule—Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m.—to give time for staff to deep clean toys and museum equipment to ensure public safety and comfort.
“We’ve changed our cleaning protocols and are using products that kill the virus and its variants. It makes us feel better about mask mandates being relaxed, and parents are so appreciative that we’ve thought that through. We are making sure their kids are safe to the best of our ability,” Beal said.
She added that she’s hoping the museum will return to regular hours by the summer.
The long closure resulted in new partnerships with the Santa Barbara County Education Office and Allan Hancock College to provide local high school and college students work experience through internships at the museum, she added. Now, the majority of the staff comes from these programs, she said.
“It’s a great way to get career experience and see if child care is a path they’d like to take. … The modified hours allowed us to bring high school students on staff, which is fantastic for the youth that attends the space. Their engagement with high school kids is just fabulous to see,” Beal said.
Kids also have the opportunity to play in the museum’s 25 exhibits that showcase essential parts of the Santa Maria Valley, from the Discovery Farms Produce Truck to the Vandenberg Launch Experience, she said. Kids can be a pilot in a shuttle launch, learn about marine life, build with Legos, and cook in a play kitchen.
“I think what’s really critical here is that the museum is designed around play and inspirational learning and taps into all possible ways that children can play,” Beal said. “I hope the kids leave the museum with joy, happiness, and a sense of wonder. We have wonderful things happening at the museum, and I’m so thankful that the kids are able to come, play, and then head on home.”
Pre-registration is required before any visit. Museum members can call the museum at (805) 928-8414 to book reservations. Nonmembers must visit smvdiscoverymuseum.org/shop and select “reservation.” The museum will send an email within 48 hours of the purchase to confirm a visit time. Questions can be directed to (805) 928-8414.
Highlights
• The Santa Maria Public Library is offering Spring Gardening Kits for pickup at the Orcutt and Los Alamos library branches from March 21 to 25. Each gardening kit contains six peat pots, soil, plant markers, and seed packets. Kits are handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis and are only available to adults 18 and older. The Orcutt branch is located at 175 South Broadway, and the Los Alamos branch is located at 405 Helena St. Call (805) 925-0994, Ext. 8562, for more information.
• The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is offering free drop-in music programs for adults 50 and over every Monday at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center—510 E. Park Ave. Forever Young Rockers will lead participants in the basics of strumming and playing a broad range of music from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Bring a guitar, ukulele, banjo, or mandolin to enjoy playing music with others. All skills are welcome, and no lessons are offered. Questions can be directed to the Recreation and Parks Department at (805) 925-0951, Ext. 2260.
Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s edition of Spotlight. You can reach her at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 24-31, 2022.
