Rosemarie McCarthy: Grandparent and Museum volunteer
“A visit to the museum expands a little kid’s knowledge about the world. I think a lot of people think it’s just play, but PLAY IS POWERFULl!”
Rosemarie has been a part of the Museum ever since she retired in 1989.
"My daughter, Paula Peterson - the Museum's director, and her friends got together and asked the town for this building to use for families. Then they recruited volunteers and we all pitched in to help clean it.
It was an old fire station, and the floor was oily with auto fuels and grease, and there wasn't even a cellar. But, it was such a beautiful historic building that we just loved being here and loved working on this exciting project - creating something for children out of an unused old building."
I remember taking my own kids to the Boston Children’s Museum which was in Jamaica Plain back then, when it was just an old house. It was very much like this but it had a little attic up above and I thought it was very interesting for kids. "
Rose wanted to share these thoughts about the importance of play “Just having fun can broaden a child’s experience! When I was little we just found things to do. We were outside more. Nowadays everyone is so afraid of kidnapping and all of that! We went into the woods and we explored. This is what kids don’t have a chance to do now. Unless they live on a farm!
But a city child is very limited in the kinds of things that they can do, as opposed to what we did.. . exploring! In this world they need a safe place for exploration. I had woods in back of my house and when it snowed we sled off the hill right into the street!”
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