The Chesapeake Children's Museum

Mission:

The mission of Chesapeake Children's Museum is to create an environment of discovery about oneself, the peoples, the technologies, and the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay area for all our children and for the children in us all.

History:

CCM incorporated in May 1994, and that summer a temporary home was offered in Odenton Elementary School. Exhibit areas were set up in adjacent classrooms; computer activities were available in a multi-station lab; and a wide range of materials for visual expression were stocked in a huge art room. Special programs and performances were planned around five themes, one for each week. One thousand visitors came to see what it was all about. Graciously, the next home was offered just before our time at Odenton Elementary was up thanks to the support of Jeff Franklin of Be Beep a Toy Shop.

For five and a half years, CCM had a rent-free home in the Festival at Riva Shopping Center in Annapolis. Exhibits and programs evolved in response to community interest and need. Participation continued in an increasing number of annual festivals and collaborations grew with various agencies and organizations - schools, scouts, churches, health centers, and other museums. In February of 2000, the shopping center became fully leased and the museum's space was needed for a paying tenant. It was time to move on. The community had indeed proven that this resource was needed and it was time to find a larger, more secure home to continue the museum's good works. 

By Spring 2000, a temporary home was found at the Eastport Shopping Center, lasting just long enough for the next spot to open up at Eastport Elementary School. Knowing this would be a "summer home", the search continued.