BROWNSVILLE — Two-year-old Joaquin Arriaga is something of a celebrity at the Children’s Museum of Brownsville.
Every member of the staff seems to know him and his father, who visit the museum nearly every day.
“The personnel are what make going there every day so exciting. My son has built a relationship with the staff. They see him walk in and say, ‘Joaquin!’ They look out for the kids,” said Eric Arriaga, his father.
On Saturday morning, Joaquin spent his time playing with Legos, using them to construct toy cars and the letters of his name.
“Lego Day” activities included having to build a toy car, letters, a bridge, and a maze.
Each activity was created to challenge the creativity and critical-thinking skills of the children, said weekend manager Bert Garcia.
Saturday’s Lego Day was the inaugural event. The museum is hoping to make it a monthly activity.
“It consists of real simple science experiments for kids,” Garcia said. “We had them thinking about size, proportions, and angles from one edge to the other.”
The museum is open year-round — even on holidays — and always has activities for families.
The TinkerSpace workshop has different hands-on arts and crafts every week.
The museum has several exhibits for children including the All World’s Café, Under the Sea, the Construction Zone, and the HEBuddy Market where children can role-play different jobs.
Joe Tognetti and his wife Leigh Ann brought their 18-month daughter Elizabeth to the museum for the first time on Saturday morning.
“The only other children’s museum I’ve been to is in Austin, and this one is smaller but seems more practical,” Tognetti said. “It’s filled with things you encounter day-to-day.”
Garcia said all of the museum’s activities are created with one goal in mind.
“Our mission statement is: ‘introducing children to a world of learning through play.’ We want to be hands-on,” Garcia said. “All of this is us staying true to our goal.”
