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A chance for Philly youngsters to explore compassion
The Please Touch Museum presents XOXO: An Exhibit About Love & Forgiveness
Jill Brooke
As the December holidays approach, there are school breaks and visitors coming to town. Many families and caregivers will be looking for activities to engage the kids. The Please Touch Museum’s new temporary experience, XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness (running through January 12, 2025) can entertain locals and travelers alike while also providing some creative interactions that spark reflection about compassion.
Upon entering the atrium at the Please Touch Museum, guests walk through the Philadelphia Cityscape into a spacious room divided by purple canopied areas. The walls are hung with large-format photographs of adults and children stretching, meditating, or doing yoga. XOXO is designed to help children and grownups understand, appreciate, and express their emotions. The installation was originally created by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh with support from the Fetzer Institute, and now it’s stopping in Philly.
A preschooler’s perspective
I visited with a four-year-old, and there were some activities that sparked her interest. She enjoyed balancing on the two see-saws and watching a projected image of herself after recording a message. Her favorite activities involved paper crafts. At one station, we wrote kind words and rolled the paper up to slide it into a pressing tool to create “Tokens of Love”. Another station, titled Release the Negative, encourages you to write an angry or sad thought down and then feed it into a paper shredder.
Most of the activities are hands-on and easily understood, with large signs identifying the goals of the exercise. There’s a good mix of fun physical interactions: touching your hands to screens to show a message or trying a yoga pose on a mat. With my own youngster, it took some gentle persuasion to elicit discussions of feelings or ways to handle big emotions. It was a plus to have the space to sit quietly and talk. The tented areas allow for some intimacy. As with any learning opportunity, how you interact with your child will enhance their experience.
I first attended late in the afternoon on a Friday, and the exhibition space was surprisingly empty, with only eight people in the room. I returned in honor of World Kindness Day (November 16) and was again surprised at how few visitors there were. But it seems that the installation may need better tending: during both visits, there were limited supplies of paper and empty stations with no art supplies. Signage about creating a box with a die cut press was unclear. Another area for creating silhouettes was littered with paper on the floor, with no additional blank paper. Maybe I attended in the wake of some student groups.
Four C’s for all
Overall, the Please Touch Museum is a wonderful children’s museum that celebrates the Four C’s of early childhood learning: Creativity, Compassion, Confidence, and Curiosity. With XOXO, the curators have added a new educational experience where children can explore emotions through art and play. We can all use a lesson in empathy and compassion.
Please Touch is a member of the Museums for All program, and visitors who are SNAP, EBT, or ACCESS cardholders can attend at a steep discount ($2 per person for up to four people) when they present their card along with photo ID upon arrival. There are also limited numbers of free Please Touch passes that can be reserved through some county libraries outside of Philadelphia. Check your local library website. You must call or visit to reserve the museum pass, which allows for four adult admissions, free parking, discounts at the café, and free carousel rides.
What, When, Where
XOXO: An Exhibit About Love & Forgiveness. $22 (plus $16 for lot parking; discounts available for SNAP, EBT, or ACCESS card-holders and local library members). Through January 12, 2025 at the Please Touch Museum’s Memorial Hall, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia. (215) 581-3181 or PleaseTouchMuseum.org.
Accessibility
The Please Touch Museum is a wheelchair-accessible venue. Museum staff are fully trained to accommodate the needs of every visitor, so don’t hesitate to ask if you need assistance.
The museum’s Play Without Boundaries program provides a relaxed environment for individuals with autism, learning disabilities, and other sensory or communication needs. The next Play Without Boundaries date is December 11 from 9-11am. To make a reservation, visit the museum’s accessibility page.
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