Children’s Museum of Manhattan Debuts Dora.

Children can join Nick Jr.’s Latina heroine, Dora the Explorer, at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) on a journey through the first-ever interactive Dora exhibition. Children will overcome obstacles, solve problems and puzzles, and find their way through the exhibition’s Rainforest, all while learning to communicate in both English and Spanish. This year-long exhibition, inspired by the award-winning animated preschool series Dora the Explorer, and sponsored by Nickelodeon, will encourage children to learn through discovery, observation and exploration, just as Dora does.

According to CMOM’s Executive Director, Andrew Ackerman, “CMOM is delighted to partner with Nickelodeon to bring active learning to very young children. CMOM has created the Dora the Explorer exhibition as the foundation for an extensive array of programs for the public, community groups, and intensive educational programs for families in need. The exhibition will incorporate multiple types of learning opportunities in English and Spanish, demonstrating how all children can learn.”

“Nickelodeon’s partnership with CMOM on the interactive Dora the Explorer exhibit is a perfect fit. Dora has become an icon to preschoolers – her adventurous, helpful spirit and pride in her Hispanic culture have been embraced by kids around the world,” said Karen Driscoll, Vice President, Nickelodeon Marketing. “This exhibit remains true to all the core elements of the property that have made it such a success, from its educational to cultural to Spanish language content. Kids who visit will have a truly interactive, entertaining and education experience and will be able to see and touch Dora’s authentic Latin American-inspired house, the environment of the Rainforest Maze and the three-dimensional number pyramid.”

CMOM’s “Dora the Explorer” will share three main goals with the hit children’s series: to enhance children’s problem solving skills; to encourage and reinforce preschoolers’ emerging social and cognitive skills in language, math, movement and music; and to increase appreciation and awareness of Latino culture, the Spanish language and the value of communicating in another language. This special exhibition will also provide unique opportunities for adults to observe how their children learn. Join Dora and her friends Boots, Diego, Backpack and Map as they help CMOM fulfill these goals throughout the six stimulating components of the exhibition.

The Rainforest

The Rainforest Maze is a place for young explorers to play hide-and-seek as they move around a giant tree trunk; look out from inside an ant hole; crawl through a fallen log; dress up in animal costumes; make sounds with rain sticks; or look in a mirror and see themselves in the Rainforest with Dora and Boots. Within the Maze are special surprises and puzzles children can activate by pushing and pulling knobs to make large butterflies flap their wings, or pedal a bicycle powered plane.

Number Pyramid

The Number Pyramid is a three-dimensional structure with walls that contain number puzzles and challenges for both younger and older children. Visitors can sort shapes; play a number game; and find surprises by looking through periscopes to see inside, or by venturing inside, the Pyramid.

Boots’ Tree House

Boots is a furry, fuzzy monkey and Dora’s best friend. At Boots’ Tree House children can climb up stairs and go down the slide; look through binoculars at the Rain Forest and see birds flying by; use a talking tube; and look through telescopes to discover animals in the Rainforest.

Animal Rescue Center

Diego, Dora’s cousin, is an eight-year-old rough and tumble adventurer who has spent so much time around animals that he has become TRI-lingual: he can talk to wild animals.

At the Animal Rescue Center, visitors can learn about and take care of Rain Forest animals with bandages, stethoscopes, scales and measuring devices; fill Diego’s Jeep with gas; and return lost animals to their homes in the Rain Forest.

Bridges

Boots’ Daddy is an architect, and Dora and Boots love to visit him at his construction sites. In the exhibition children can put on hard hats and help finish a bridge building project by completing the walls with foam blocks.

A Troll Bridge is crossed before getting to Dora’s House. Kids and caregivers are encouraged to make the Grumpy Old Troll, who lives beneath the bridge, laugh in order to go across the bridge.

Dora’s House

Dora lives at home with her Mami and Papi. With its terracotta tile roof, and yellow pastel color scheme, Dora’s cozy house has a distinct Latin American charm. Dora embodies the Latina spirit which is evident at Dora’s house. Visitors can create a story by sequencing pictures, objects and words in Spanish and English; listen to Dora’s favorite songs and dance to the music of the Fiesta Trio; or dress up and decorate the house for a fiesta with a basket of magnetic decorations, matching colors and shapes.

Inside Dora’s bedroom, visitors can see her favorite authentic Latin American toys and dolls, look through Dora’s Photo Album of pictures of her adventures in the exhibition; find objects on Dora’s shelf that match the adventures; and open Dora’s “happy box” to see where she keeps her favorite things.