What’s the big IDEA?: Cheyenne Children’s Museum will be an inclusive place to ‘learn through play’

CHEYENNE — A place where imagination and learning intertwine for both children and adults, community members can expect many exhibits and programs that foster a “learn through play” mindset when the new Cheyenne Children’s Museum opens later this year.

According to the website, the museum’s mission is to provide a fun, safe and accessible space for imagination and interaction. Through the IDEA initiative — inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility — the museum will have exhibits and programs for children and families with disabilities, a welcoming atmosphere and financial support for those in need.

The idea for this children’s museum came from founder Amy Surdam after she visited a children’s museum in Indiana, said Museum Board President Caroline Veit. Because Veit and Surdam are neighbors, they developed the idea for the Cheyenne museum in Veit’s kitchen on a whiteboard in 2013, Veit said.

After that, they formed a board of volunteers, and the museum became a nonprofit in 2014, with Veit becoming president following Surdam in 2016.

“We’ve had some founding board members that have just been on a mission to bring a ‘wow’ experience to our community,” Veit said. “Our secondary mission has always been to be a community catalyst, and that’s why we’re focusing on downtown and trying to make a big change in our whole community.”

Construction workers finally broke ground in 2022 with the help of many members of the community and their generous donations to the cause.

Haylee Chenchar, the museum’s executive director, said this project has seen more community support than any other project she has witnessed since moving to Cheyenne eight years ago.

The museum’s website features a list of more than 150 donors who have been the pioneer investors in allowing the project to come to life, Chenchar said.

“It’s just been a true lift and an example by the community and for the community,” Chenchar said, “and we’ve just had so many individuals who have been champions of this project and left investments throughout the years to make this happen. … It’s been inspiring to get to be a part of it.”

The donors have successfully helped the museum raise the $3 million needed to complete phase one of construction, which encompasses the 4,400-square-foot stand-alone building at the southwest corner of 17th Street and O’Neil Avenue in Cheyenne’s West Edge district and several exhibits unique to Wyoming. However, officials are still working toward a final goal of $3.8 million to complete the entirety of phase one, Veit said.

For phase two, officials are hoping to raise $15-20 million to expand the building by 18,000 square feet onto the second lot they own right next to the first one, and to add more exhibits. But that is not the focus at the moment, Chenchar said.

“It’s something that we will always be open to, but we’re currently focusing on just finishing and finalizing and completing our phase one,” Chenchar said. “We’re just working on finishing the building, getting our doors open, and then from there, it’ll be hitting the ground running to start to plan, dream and work toward phase two.”

The plan for the museum is ever-growing and ever-evolving, Chenchar said. Phase one will also have an outdoor exhibit that will feature a dino dig area on the south side of the building, which will be an interactive exhibit of a Wyoming dinosaur skeleton replica for kids to climb on and play in, and vertical growing systems to help kids learn about plants that are native to Wyoming.

The outdoor area will also be connected to the greenway, have a bicycle repair station and a Little Free Library.

“This incredible children’s museum is an opportunity for kids to ignite imagination and learn on their own terms,” Chenchar said. “So all of these exhibits have been thoughtfully — and continue to be thoughtfully — designed and developed with Wyoming teaching standards and child development milestones [in mind]. It’s a great imaginative and creative opportunity. The sky’s the limit.”

The museum is on track to have its exhibit designers come in and install the exhibits soon. The construction crew has made lots of progress, and officials expect to have a soft opening in the fall.

“It’s totally thrilling to see things that we have been dreaming about, [things] that people have shared matter to them,” Veit said, “and [seeing] something really physical coming completely together is amazing.”