By Judith Dorato O’Gara

There’s a whole new world being built in Franklin, small in scale, but limited only by how far imagination can reach. That, and the need for just a bit more funding. 

Shown is the outside of what will be a Sensory Tree, an 8-foot diameter tree that will offer a peaceful space inside.

Much is taking place over at the Children’s Museum of Franklin, which will be located at 157 Cottage Street in Franklin. Founders, local m     oms Erin Gallagher and Meg Hagen, have been working hard engaging educators, sponsors and individual donors to turn their dream of a regional children’s museum into reality, and they are nearly able to open those doors. 

“Developing a really inclusive space has really been a priority for us from the beginning,” says Gallagher, “and that was part of why we built our advisory committee” that includes an occupational therapist, a speech/language pathologist, and multiple education advisors who collaborate to make each area physically, socially and emotionally accessible. The idea was “to truly create a welcoming space where every family can have a successful and joyful experience,” says Gallagher.

She and Hagen anticipate that those features will attract families and educators from many communities. The 501 (c )3 nonprofit, which has already reached 180+ communities across MA and RI through its Mobile Museum, will generate revenue once the doors are open from daily admissions, memberships, programming and parties. Until then, however, fundraising remains the biggest hurdle.

Children’s Museum of Franklin’s transportation exhibit will incorporate a view of an actual working train.

“We have a couple of exhibit areas in particular that are dependent on funding, as well as reserves to open our doors,” says Gallagher. An envisioned “Wind” exhibit, comprised of large, interwoven pneumatic tubes, for example, still needs  financial backing. 

Some generous sponsors have stepped up to fund several exciting exhibits.

The Imaginative Play Downtown has been entirely sponsored by local families, in addition to a custom Gazebo created by Woodstock Building Associates. 

Kids will be drawn to a dinosaur exhibit (which will also teach concepts of math and measurement ) as well as a water play area, with a water table designed by Science Kinetics and Vanderbilt University. Rockland Trust is funding “Miss Money’s Playroom.” Boston Productions, Inc. has a human bodies mirror exhibit for the Healthy Hearts, Healthy Bodies area, which will also feature a pumping heart provided by Abiomed.

In the middle of the space, an 8-foot diameter Sensory Tree, built by C.R. Schmall Building & Remodeling and designed by Craft Architecture, will feature branches reaching to the ceiling, felt sound-absorbing leaves, and an interior designed to be a little darker and calmer, with a fiberoptic starlight ceiling, touch lights, and other sensory tools. This sensory reset space will be “a central and inclusive and really an exciting part of the museum.”

The Transportation area, sponsored by Vendetti Motors, ties into the building’s history as Agway. With a big window, once a loading doorway, situated close to train tracks, children can play with car ramps built by Tri-County students and a custom train table while they watch MBTA commuter rail trains pass by.

There will of course, be a climbing structure, located in an accessible step-down pit. The contained structure will be visible from either of two baby feeding nooks, designed with help from lactation consultants and furnished by Bob’s Discount Furniture.

A Makerspace will also draw young artists, with tables and stools funded by the Franklin Cultural Council, and a science classroom will offer elementary- and middle school-age kids a place for supplemental STEM learning programs.

“Meg has been meeting quite a bit with the director of STEM at Franklin Public Schools as well as the high school science chair to identify areas they see as gaps as students enter high school,” says Gallagher. The museum will also afford leadership and internship opportunities for high school and local college students.

Outside features include picnic tables, musical percussion and raised bed gardening, and Middlesex Savings Bank provided a grant for bubble hoops.

Accommodations for all ability levels are baked into every detail. Coming in, families can use the custom Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) board to plan their visit. “Looking at the board with your child, you’ll be able to identify different areas of the museum and figure out what you      want to do in the space,” says Gallagher.

Areas of the museum will be color-coded, with colored pathways on the floor leading to the play zones. Sound absorbing panels and discs will also be installed along the ceiling and sides. Not only are bathrooms wheelchair accessible, but one also contains a changing table for larger children who need it.

Gallagher is excited to see her and Hagen’s vision manifest.

Last month, the museum’s climbing structure was installed in “the pit.”

“It feels pretty magical, what we’ve put together, and I’m so excited to watch it come to life,” she says. The Founding Families program, she says, has been a great help toward raising funds, and fingers are crossed a grant will soon come through from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

Meanwhile, a couple fundraisers are planned this month, including “Move for the Museum: Community Fitness Fundraiser,” at Downtown Sports, 240 Cottage St., Franklin. on Sunday, May 4th, from 3-5 p.m., hosted by Body Fit Training, and a Dave & Buster’s fundraiser, https://tinyurl.com/FranklinChildrensMusDB.

To learn more, visit 

https://www.childrensmuseumfranklin.org.