The Montrose Children’s Museum is open this weekend, for the first time. Visitors can swing by or pre-register online for the chance to win prizes.

The ribbon cutting was at 10:30 this morning.

The museum has exhibits for kids at 221 Colorado Ave, Unit A.

At the head of the planning is Mallory Shaffer, the founder and executive director, who initially had the vision for the museum.

“I was a school teacher beforehand, and I just saw when we came back from COVID, there was just a need to get away from screens and becoming more hands-on,” she said. “So we started thinking about how we can supplement education and help these teachers and kids increase their scores, their cognitive abilities and those kinds of things.”

A construction exhibit at the Montrose Children’s Museum. The exhibits are interactive, so kids can play while learning. (Denise Lambert | MBT)

Those who have heard of the museum already, even though it is currently a museum without a home, are likely fans of the pop-up exhibits the nonprofit has been organizing over the past year at local events and festivals.

One example: the Montrose Children’s Museum worked with the Black Canyon Astronomical Society to bring a telescope to the Centennial Plaza eclipse-watching event on April 8.

The pop-ups have served as an awareness-spreading tool and also a mechanism for fundraising. To date, they’ve raised around $70,000.

“Our first pop-up event was with the city for the 4th of July, and that was so successful that others reached out and wanted to sponsor us,” Shaffer said.

They’ve also appeared at Mrs. Claus for a Cause, the library’s planetarium event and several others. That has been just since December.

The ribbon cutting at the Montrose Children’s Museum this morning. (Montrose Children’s Museum photo)

“I was a teacher, and it was hard to get money from parents as a teacher or from the community,” Shaffer said. “It seems like more people are willing to help a bigger organization rather than just helping one teacher. The community coming together (in support of the museum has been) exciting and heartwarming.”

The museum is working with local organizations on the exhibits. Just a few of the exhibits, which will rotate as time goes on, include a healthcare exhibit, a kitchen and restaurant exhibit, a farm-to-fork exhibit and many more.

A few of the sponsors include La Familia Music Group, Jimmy John’s, Mail and Ship, Pediatric Associates, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado State University Extension, Magic Circle Players and Fabula. They have helped to organize and fund the various exhibits, based on their own businesses or industries.

Shaffer, her husband and the museum’s board, which consists of current and former educators and others with experience, are currently working to get the space ready.

The museum has plans of partnering with local schools for field trips and more.

Those interested in learning more about the museum or supporting it can visit their website.