The Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley opened to the public on July 18. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

RIPLEY — The Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley opened Friday to the public, and the staff are excited to show what they offer to Jackson County families.

The museum is a nonprofit organization that aims to give children and family members a space to try out different types of play and encourage kids to use their imaginations and problem-solving skills at their themed stations.

Along with the typical playhouses and building blocks found around the museum, there are multiple stations where kids can pretend to operate businesses, such as a pizzeria and a flower shop. There is also a S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) room where kids can test their critical thinking skills and learn about physics and biology.

The museum was founded by Cheryl Miller and Jessica Isner. Miller is a retired kindergarten teacher, and Isner is an adult educator with her master’s degree in corporate organizational communication.

When Isner moved to the area in 2017, she was introduced to Miller by her pastor, and she said they came together over the idea of starting a museum. Miller and Isner worked together during outdoor children’s summer programs held at Cedar Lakes.

The Bev Shatto STEAM Studio at the Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley was named after the late Jackson County educator and was sponsored by Shatto’s family. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

“Through that, we realized kids needed to learn and play, adults needed a place to gather. But also, they needed a safe, accessible place to do that that is consistent,” Isner said.

Debbie Higginbotham, a retired licensed social worker and play therapist, is a member of the museum’s board. She says that play is an integral part of a child’s development and can be a form of emotional expression.

“Play, that’s the words of the children,” said Higginbotham. “And if you think about how our society is right now, always signing up for sports and dance, and all those things. There’s no downtime or creative play. That’s how kids work out stress, anxiety, and how to problem-solve.”

The staff members at the museum said that they have also seen their adult visitors find relaxation and fun in the museum as they play with their children and watch them interact with the stations.

“It’s definitely a place I think for everyone to come and enjoy. The world is so hard right now and so stressful, and I’m seeing the look on the adults’ faces as they come into the play room,” Miller said. “And for a couple minutes, they’re removed from all that.”

Theo Miller loads the air-ball shooter in the Bev Shatto STEAM Studio at the Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

“It’s like a release for them as well, and it’s reintroducing the play to a parent and a child together that they can replicate at home, which is very, very valuable,” Higganbotham said.

Miller stressed that she wants to open the museum up to older children and provide middle and high schoolers with opportunities to get involved as well.

“We want to give them some purpose and let them see that we recognize their value and we want to work with them, and we have respect for them,” Miller said.

Miller and Isner said several organizations have contributed to the success of the museum’s opening, including the Jackson County Board of Education and West Virginia Birth to Three. Stephanie Casto, the on-site play therapist for the museum, says the museum could be a valuable resource to local schools that have students who are struggling to regulate their emotions and focus during class.

“One thing that’s not understood that I preach to every educator that I come in contact with is that there are so many children that have experienced trauma, and the traumatized child’s brain is in a constant state of stress response,” Casto said. “When your brain is in stress response, it can’t learn.”

Kids can simulate tending to a garden at the Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

Six-year-old Nina Miller says that she enjoys playing with the air-ball shooter in the Bev Shatto S.T.E.A.M. studio. If she were to add anything to the museum, it would be a library.

“I like this place a lot,” Nina Miller said.

Eleven-year-old Cohen Isner also likes to spend time in the S.T.E.A.M. studio. He said that he did not know what he would add to the museum because he already enjoys it so much.

“I think it’s just an overall good place for kids to come and play,” Cohen Isner said.

The Explorers Children’s Museum is open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 2998 Charleston Road, Suite 11, in Ripley.

Emeline Hutchinson shops at a simulated grocery store at the Explorers Children’s Museum in Ripley. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

Children below age 2 get into the museum for free, while children ages 2 and up get in for $5 each, which includes two adults. Additional adults can get in for $7 each. Memberships cost $125 per year for a one-child family and $175 for a family with two or more children.

“This has been incredibly supported in our community, and because of that support, we’re able to keep this reasonably priced so that it’s accessible to everyone. We really appreciate that,” Isner said.

More information is available online at ecmwv.com or the Explorers Children’s Museum Facebook page.

Matty Lamp can be reached at intern@newsandsentinel.com.

Children can also choose to read picture books in the play area at the Explorers Children’s Museum. (Photo by Matty Lamp)

Lionuss Parker plays with the simulated x-ray machine in the “pet vet” office at the Explorers Children’s Museum. (Photo by Matty Lamp)