The Woodlands Children’s Museum and The John Cooper School dream big by partnering up for new ‘Dream and Build’ exhibit

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Representatives from The John Cooper School and esteemed members of the community congregated at The Woodlands Children’s Museum at its location in the Panther Creek Shopping Center for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new exhibit.

The ‘Dream and Build’ exhibit is a castle-themed section of the museum filled with pool-noodle weapons, soft building blocks, turrets and passageways, and a dragon desperately trying to lose the name ‘Betty.’ Though the museum itself was closed – as usual for Mondays – the doors were opened for the media, members of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors such as Dr. Ann Snyder and Cindy Heiser, the staff of the museum, some specially selected children, and several people from the school, including dragon mascot Draco.

“Today is an exciting day; it’s a day where The John Cooper School can celebrate the mission of The Woodlands Children’s Museum to empower and excite students about learning, and we can – outside of our walls at 1 John Cooper Drive – can come here and help give the kids a great experience where they can curate their curiosity, where they can build, and where they can dream things to come for their lives,” said Dr. Stephen Popp, John Cooper’s Head of School. “I’m so excited for us to be able to partner with the wonderful people here at the museum and to have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing community.”

On behalf of the Children’s Museum’s board of directors, Chairman David Dunlap spoke with Woodlands Online about his pride in the partnership between the museum and the school.

“We are really excited about this relationship between The Woodlands Children’s Museum and The John Cooper School. I think this is a great opportunity for the school to have a prominent place in a museum that is visited by so many families in this community,” he said. “What’s important to me is that this is another community partnership that we really worked hard on over the years. We have some amazing community partners here with us now, adding a prestigious school such as John Cooper makes for a great relationship. As time goes on, we’ll find more community partners that are also interested in coming in, because we are so reliant on them – whether nonprofits like John Cooper and the Pavilion, or for our businesses in the community – for their exhibits. We cover our operating costs with our membership fees and admissions and donations, but we need people who are willing to come in and make an investment in this great asset, our museum in The Woodlands. We’re super excited to have The John Cooper School with us.”

The John Cooper School’s Dream and Build Exhibit features a magnificent 15-foot sculpted dragon, walk-through castle towers, interactive building blocks, and an open play concept that allows young minds to explore the realms of architecture, engineering, design, and critical thinking.This exhibit offers an enchanting journey of creativity and exploration for families.”

The large building blocks in the exhibit feature over 20 different shapes and sizes, including bricks, cylinders, chutes, channels, and other parts that suggest motion and connectivity. Children can enjoy an endless variety of play patterns as they stack, line up, and move around the modular pieces. Recent studies show that playing with blocks is linked to improved performance in math test scores, language development, pre-literacy preparation, problem-solving skills, and social development.

The Woodlands Children’s Museum is located at 4775 W Panther Creek Dr. #280 in The Woodlands; it is open at 10 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Tickets for admission – which include access to all exhibits including the ‘Dream and Build’ exhibit – are only $8. The John Cooper School has also recently been named as the Number One Private School in The Woodlands.

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