Families discover immersive AR play at children’s museum
A travelling interactive exhibit has brought a striking blend of technology and play to the Mighty Children’s Museum in Chillicothe, allowing young visitors to reshape their surroundings in real time. The feature centres on the Help Me Grow iSandbox from Bright Beginnings, which uses augmented reality to turn an ordinary box of sand into a living landscape. As children dig, smooth, pile, and carve the sand, projected colours transform the surface into hills, valleys, rivers, and changing terrain, giving families a tactile and visually rich learning experience. The temporary exhibit, supported by the Ohio Department of Children & Youth, is set to remain at the museum through early January, giving local families time to experience it during regular museum visits.
Beyond the playful experience, the exhibit serves a broader purpose. It encourages families to discover Help Me Grow’s services by engagingly introducing support resources, rather than relying solely on traditional brochures. Visitors can experiment with the interactive sandbox, spend time at an informational kiosk, and learn about programmes that support early childhood development. These include home visiting services for expectant parents and families with children up to age three, early intervention options for young children with developmental delays or disabilities, and no-cost developmental screenings available to families across Ohio through the Sparkler: Play for Parenting app. A statewide online resource directory is also highlighted, offering practical information for pregnant individuals and families in all 88 Ohio counties.
Bright Beginnings acts as the state-contracted provider for Help Me Grow Central Intake & Referral, meaning the organisation plays a central role in guiding families to the services most suited to their needs. The exhibit therefore operates as both a playful attraction and a community education tool, blending curiosity, learning, and awareness in a child-friendly setting. The museum’s leadership considers the feature a valuable addition, noting that young visitors are clearly responding with enthusiasm as they explore the sand, watch the projected environments shift, and gradually understand how their actions change the virtual world in front of them. It offers a rare mix of imagination, sensory activity, and subtle learning, helping children connect movement, creativity, and cause-and-effect thinking.
Families visiting the exhibit are also being encouraged to engage further by taking part in a developmental screening through the Sparkler app. By scanning a QR code at the Help Me Grow kiosk, parents can complete the process and enter a drawing to receive a free family membership to the museum for four people. This added incentive supports both participation in developmental awareness and ongoing access to educational play spaces, potentially benefiting families long after their initial visit. Many parents see it as an easy way to gain helpful insight into their child’s development while also having the chance to access additional museum experiences at no cost.
The Mighty Children’s Museum remains open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. With its combination of technology, learning opportunities, and family-friendly atmosphere, the augmented reality sandbox is among the more engaging seasonal additions to the space. It gives children the freedom to experiment, inspires curiosity, and helps parents discover meaningful support resources, turning a simple box of sand into a memorable educational experience.
