The Springfield Museums present How People Make Things, an exhibit inspired by Mr. Rogers’s Factory Tours, January 16 through May 9, 2021, at the Springfield Science Museum.
Every object has a story of how it is made. How People Make Things celebrates that story—the people, the manufacturing processes, and the technologies used to make everyday objects in our world.
“Factory production, interchangeable parts, and assembly lines are part and parcel of Springfield’s industrial DNA,” said Mike Kerr, Director of the Springfield Science Museum. “Through his factory tours, Fred Rogers took complex ideas and made them easier to understand and relatable for children. This exhibit does the same thing.”
As a center for informal STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) learning, the Museums are excited to add this traveling exhibit to the Smithsonian Spark!Lab experience on the second floor of the Science Museum. “Hands-on/minds-on learning is essential for a full understanding of concepts,” said Larissa Murray, Director of Education at the Museums. “This exhibit offers so many ways to explore manufacturing from actually making things to interactive games to better understand the jobs people have within factories.”
Geared for children ages 5 to 12 and their families, How People Make Things offers hands-on stations to explore four steps in manufacturing: cut, mold, deform, and assemble. The stations include “Factories in Your Neighborhood,” “People Matching Game,” “Baseball Bat Process Display,” “Die-Cutter Display,” and so much more.
Mr. Rogers explained why he wanted to share factory tours on his TV show: “My father and my two grandfathers worked in factories, and I was always interested in their work,” Mr. Rogers said. “When we show factories, they certainly have fascinating machines, but I always emphasize that it takes people to make machines and to make them work. I like children to know that people can take pride in their work and that everyone’s job is important.”
Created by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in collaboration with Family Communications, Inc. (FCI), the producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE).
Supported in part by the National Science Foundation and The Grable Foundation.