How this new experiential children’s museum at Worli aims to help your child

In a city that has a major dearth of safe spaces for kids to experiment learn and grow the Museum of Solution MuSo that recently opened at Victoria House at Kamala Mills could be a godsent Four floors of the notforprofit initiative designed as a worldclass experiential childrenrsquos museum are now open and each storey offers an immersive experience We took a bunch of childrenmdashaged seven to 13mdashon a walkthrough and asked their verdictThe top floor is dedicated to Make It is packed with art stations 3D printers and corners where small humands are allowed to open old gadgets to see how things workmdashevery childrsquos dream A space that allows you to make mistakes collaborate share knowledge build test prototype and maybe someday solve the problems of the world is the need of the hour On Monday the day of our visit the museum opens its doors to NGOs working with children to experience the space free of cost We are overwhelmed by the joy on the faces of young bright ones who would perhaps never have had the opportunity to travel to or access a space like this Mumbai is still not a city where spaces are truly inclusive and the idea for making the platform available to the underprivileged can be credited to the founder Tanvi Jindal ShetyeA level below Discover is dedicated to the world of water and segregated into special zones We enjoyed an eightminute film on a turtle narrated by Jackie Shroff and Dia Mirza The immersive theatre brought the reality of damage wrought by the human hand on the environment closer sowing the seeds of thoughts about preservation deep into our mindsThe Empathy zone allowed our little ones to relate to problems of the Koli community people working on preserving mangroves and fishing villages Wellresearched the idea is to encourage children to find the problem collaborate with the community and find solutionsOn the seventh floor is Play A powerful medium to allow children to have a lot of fun while learning concepts and mediums Themeconcepts run across the entire floor Sensory tunnels animation stations as well as places to build create play interact and have fun with air and water It was tough to get kids out of hereThe library which was closed for the day had cosy reading nooks and a collection of interesting books along with an art art installation by Sangeeta Jindal called A Seat at the Table It was actually a space for young children to sit and interact with the characters on the tableAt MuSo the exhibits are a key feature each more immersive and interactive than the other The content for these exhibits we are told will be based on revolving themes that include water people planet mental and physical wellbeing and sustainabilityMe All of these draw inspiration and direction from the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs of the United NationsMuSo is a bold vision backed by the belief that children donrsquot need to become adults to be changemakers As we watch our little ones make discoveries and experience a new realm of science and solutions we realise what a great way it is for them to understand the world around us Each time you come back you will find something new to challenge our collective notions of learning For now we are just happy to see our children take a leadership position in solutionfinding practicesTime Monday to Sunday 10 am to 8 pmWHERE Victoria House Next to IKEA Lower ParelEntry Rs 499 onwardsTO BOOK museumofsolutionsin