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When Jonathan Shaver returned to his hometown of Oswego last June with his wife, Jill, to raise their family, the couple found there was only one thing missing from this quaint port town. In January of this year, they set about to change that.
"We have two children, Andy, 5, and Madeleine, who is six," Jonathan said. "I am from Oswego and knew I wanted to raise them here."
So, after finishing his stint in the U.S. Navy, the Shavers put down roots in Oswego but said they soon discovered, particularly during the long winter months, there did not seem to be much for to engage children, especially young ones like his.
"Jill and I talked about this and we immediately thought of a children's museum," Jonathan said.
Jill is a stay-at-home mom who holds a psychology degree in child development.
"We were fortunate to live in places (while Jon was in the service) that had children's museums and our children loved them," she said. "We wondered how hard it would be to bring (one) here."
As they embarked on the project, they quickly realized that the ambitious venture would be worth the hard work it would entail and even better, everyone they have approached about the project has been extremely supportive.
"The response has been overwhelmingly positive, which gives us the momentum and drive to get this done," Jonathan said. "The pace we are developing this is a lot faster than other museums attempting to be founded right now."
In May, Jill traveled to Baltimore for the the 2013 Emerging Museum Conference, in which 30 other museums were in attendance.
"Some of them have been in the formation phase for three to four years and not as far along as we are," Jonathan pointed out. "We definitely want to maintain that momentum and not fade away."
The Shavers formed CMOO's first official board of directors for the Children's Museum of Oswego (CMOO) in January. In April, they received a provisional charter from the New York State Department of Education to operate as a non-profit and are currently in the application process to become a 501(c)3.
Besides the Shavers, CMOO's board of directors include Greg Mills, assistant director of the city of Oswego's Community Development Office; Lisa Emmons, founder and co-owner of Mother Earth Baby; Nathan Emmons, co-owner of Mother Earth Baby and assistant dean of students at SUNY Oswego; Kate Bowman, a Universal Pre-K teacher in the Fulton school district; and Jenny Workman, a stay-at-home mom, all of whom bring their own perspective to the lofty project.
"There has actually been some concern that we are such a young board, but we all have children and we all have the drive, motivation and passion doing this," Jonathan said.
Greg Mills agreed with this assessment.
"I am the old man on the board," he said with a laugh. "Who better to build a model of what kids need than those who have kids and know their needs? These are people who really want to make a difference for children in the community."
What Shaver and the board want to stress is this is not your typical museum.
"We want people to understand and look past the word museum," Jill said. "It is a hands-on experience with self-directed play. They are learning because they can now relate to what they have just used, played with and manipulated and draw from it."
Jonathan said a lot of the children's museums have a mock town center with a grocery story, schoolhouse, bank, police station, etc., where children can take on the roles of an adult while interacting with other children.
"A lot of the design focuses on the interactions between children," he said. "But we also plan to incorporate Oswego and the modern culture of Oswego into it."
Jonathan explained that they want to have such things as a lock system, which explains how a lock works.
"How many children see the lock every time they drive over the bridge but have no understanding of what they are seeing," he asked. "Another exhibit may be the history of lighthouses, where the kids can climb through one and learn about the history of Oswego that way."
On the walls, he said, will be pictures and plaques offering up Oswego history for children and adults alike.
"We want to create ways in which we can engage both children and adults to learn about Oswego and our community," Jonathan said.
Kids, he pointed out, are an important aspect to the design concept.
"I bring my son into it in order to get his perspective," Jonathan said. "I will ask him what he thinks about something and he gives me an idea I wouldn't have thought of as an adult."
"And the exhibits are not permanent," Mill added. "We are a member of the Association of Children's Museums (ACM) and we can rent exhibits from them as well. We need to give the children new things to experience and see on a regular basis."
He said having an interactive place for children to learn and explore will expand on the classroom and what it provides.
"It may open their minds a little bit more to learning and comprehending," he said. "We need to continually strive to make learning a positive experience for them."
While a location has not been officially nailed down, the board's first choice is the American Legion building at 69 W. Bridge St.,
"I have been through it many times and I can just see it there as I walk through it," Jonathan said. "The next step is to get an architect in to give us a figure for renovation. (Creating the space) will be a phased project but how long it takes depends on public support."
To rally that support and to introduce the museum to the public, the Children's Museum of Oswego has scheduled a public information session at 7 p.m, June 11, at the Oswego YMCA Armory.
"We will be discussing what the museum will be, how it will serve the community, our timeline and then solicit input from the community about their thoughts on programming and where the public sees the museum fitting into our community," Jonathan said.
To ensure seating for everyone, CMOO asks that anyone planning to attend to R.S.V.P at www.cmoo.org.
"But anyone can drop in even without an R.S.V.P.," Jonathan stressed. "We are looking to have as many people and small business owners attend as possible."
For more information or to become involved, contact Jill at 326-1110; or LIKE them on Facebook The Children's Museum of Oswego, https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensMuseumofOswego.
