The Manitoba Children’s Museum houses six permanent galleries designed
for safe, hands-on learning through exploration and play.
All Aboard
Our signature gallery is shaped by a fully-restored 1952 diesel train
engine and 1910 Pullman coach car. The engine and coach car were once operational,
but in the museum the train is in the kids’ hands!
We are always in need of stationmasters to sell tickets from behind the wicket. Don’t forget to ask your little stationmaster to stamp your ticket!
If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, you are welcome to ride in style as a passenger. Pack your suitcase and claim a seat in the coach car. Maybe your child will offer to serve you lunch from the snack bar, which is fully equipped with “food” and serving plates.
We also need a postmaster to sort the mail so that it gets delivered to Manitoba’s prairie towns! Read the address labels on our letter mail and match them up to the corresponding mail bunk.
No journey would be possible without the engineer! Your child can sit at the controls and set the train on its way. You will hear live feed from the CN station in downtown Winnipeg.
Live Wire
Technology abounds in the Live Wire Gallery. Step in front
of the Recollections screen and watch yourselves dance in technicolour.
A few minutes in front of the Do-Undo screen and your child will be wondering
whether you are coming or going! Do-Undo records your actions for three seconds
and plays it back in forward and reverse.
Kids love to make their own impressions! The pin screen is a favourite for all ages.
You and your child can test how hot you are using the Thermal Wall or have fun with words on the magnetic Word Play Wall.
Our TV
Your child can be our next local celebrity! This television studio includes
a news desk, weather map, cameras, monitors and lighting controls, setting
the scene for future meteorologists, news anchors and production crews.
Tree and Me
Step into a magical forest full of sights and sounds! Animals
have left their prints on the floor that lead you to their homes. Listen
to the sounds animals make while you are exploring the hidden nooks and
crannies of the forest.
Your environmental explorer can climb up the stairs inside a 17-foot oak
tree and slide down its trunk! Discover an underwater beaver dam and see
what life would be like in a beaver's lodge. Kids can also dress up in animal
costumes and blend right into the forest!
WonderWorks
Your child is the architect. Through interactive displays,
your kids can design their own city, use child-sized heavy equipment and
build structures and roads using a variety of building materials. They can
also learn about natural gas and water systems.
The concept for this gallery was conceived by the Infrastructure Council of Manitoba and brought to the Manitoba Children’s Museum. The result is a one-of-a-kind gallery that is designed to help kids develop an appreciation for infrastructure and its impact on the environment.
The Manitoba Children’s Museum is privileged to be the permanent home of the original Eaton’s Santa’s Village. The fifteen fairytale vignettes once served as the holiday display at the former downtown Winnipeg Eaton’s store. This exhibit is open every holiday season from mid-November until mid-January.
Courtyard
The outdoor courtyard is a contained area with amphitheatre seating
for picnics and a giant sandbox for hands-on fun.
