Zimmer Children's Museum

For the staff of Zimmer Children's Museum, teaching kids to express themselves goes hand-in-hand with teaching social values, like community responsibility, cultural sensitivity, and environmental sustainability. The museum sprawls across two floors filled with interactive exhibits, including Rhythms of the World, where kids can explore the sounds of instruments from foreign countries, and the S. Mark Taper Aid and Rescue Center, where they can learn disaster-response skills and climb aboard an authentic Coast Guard raft. At Discovery Airport, they can take the helm of a private plane.

In addition to exhibits, the museum engages small visitors with free programs ranging from story time and open art-studio sessions to the Culture Club: a gathering that introduces kids to international music and food. Seasonal classes taught by arts educators and early-childhood-development specialists promote multi-sensory learning, and the bilingual Jugando Grande program teaches kids how to giggle and play in English and Spanish.