Visitors have noticed some big changes happening on Treehouse’s second level. The beloved Music Room exhibit has disappeared for a time to make way for a new exhibit based on early natural science concepts. The exhibit, called “Walk in the Woods,” is geared for ages 3 to 8 and focuses on seasonal changes, Utah animals, plants, birds, and reptiles. There’s a winter cave where Mama Bear sleeps. A beaver “pond” with touch screen games and a lush mountain meadow represent summer, while spring and fall focus on baby animals and getting ready for winter. The exhibit is based on the beautifully illustrated books in the Baby Bear series by award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Ashley Wolff. Ashley is a great friend of the Museum and she and her publisher have given Treehouse permission to use her art and stories as a starting point for the exhibit and Ashley herself has painted dozens of the life size animals and birds that children can find in the new exhibit. This major new exhibit will open soon.

Meanwhile, the Music Room instrument collection has moved down to the One World Village and the others parts into storage until Treehouse staff can build a new Music Studio space with new instruments to try, equipment to record your own songs, and even a station where you can conduct a symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble, or a marching band.

We have lots of other plans, too, including a new Art Studio with opportunities to do more involved art projects with staff and volunteers including printmaking, sculpture and assemblage projects, weaving, painting, and collage pieces.

Before that happens, though, watch for a new Victorian farmhouse coming soon for Grandma Sophie on the first floor, and a new reading car for our Jupiter train to “pull” and provide lots of passengers a new place for pretend play.

Keeping things new and fresh for our visitors is something Treehouse staff and Board work hard to do. If you have suggestions about exhibits or amenities the Museum should include, we’d love to hear from you via email or phone.

Here's a sneak peak at what the exhibit will look like! We had this model built to help us visualize and guide the project.