７月２２日（土曜日）２０２３
南駅（South Station）の近くにボストン子供博物館があります。海沿いの古い倉庫のような建物を子供達の年齢に合わせて体験しながら遊んだり学んだりできる施設にしたもので全米にはこうした施設が３００以上あるらしく、その中でも２番目に古いそうです。
夏休みの土曜日ということもあって中は子供連れの家族でごった返していました。Kid Powerと書かれたコーナーでは空気圧など力で動く様々な遊びに子供も大人もチャレンジ。大きなシャボン玉や水遊びに夢中になる子供たち。木の板を組み立ててる兄弟。影絵で遊ぶ親子などなど。一番歓声が上がっていたのは３階まである"Climb"と称する狭い通路を登ったり降りたりする遊び。
ボストンはまた６０年以上に渡って京都と姉妹都市ですが、関係者の尽力で京都の古い町屋を大工さんを現地から呼んでそのままこの子供博物館に移しました。高さの制限で屋根はありませんが２階建ての立派な家屋です。通常公開していますが、この日は残念ながら中は見ることができませんでした。以前は都内の電車を再現したり、餅つきなど日本の行事を体験したり、いろいろな文化紹介をしていましたが、経費もかかることで難しくなっているのかもしれません。
久しぶりに子供博物館へ行ってみて、やはり老朽化が見えましたが、全てに子供達が遊びながら学べる工夫がしてあることに改めて感心しました。大人一人で子供博物館へ行くというのも珍しいですが、子供達が一心に遊んでいるのを見て楽しかったです。
There is a Boston Children's Museum near the South Station. It is the facility for the children to play and learn through their experience upon their age and I heard the building was originally an old storage house by the sea and renovated as the facility for the kids several decades ago. According to the web information, there are over 300 facilities like this children's museum in the US and Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest one.
I guess maybe because it was Saturday during the summer holidays, it was crowded with families. At the corner sign of "Kid Power", Kids and even adults played with the tools which reflected their power, one of the brothers was assembling small wooden boards, a boy and his mother were playing with shadows, etc. Many kids were playing and shouting with joy on the climbing structure which was as high as the level of three stories.
We know that Boston and Kyoto have had a good relationship as Sister Cities for several decades. City of Boston received a gift of a traditional Japanese house (Kyo no Machiya) from the city of Kyoto in 1979 and it was exhibited in the Boston Children's Museum. Usually it is open to the public, but unfortunately it was closed on my visiting day.
It had been a really long time since my last visit, and I realized that the museum was aging in many parts but I was amazed that they all created tools which kids can play with pleasantly and think through.
It might be rare that adults like me visit the Children's Museum alone, but I enjoyed watching the kids being completely absorbed in their playing in the museum.
