LEWISBURG, Pa. — Lights hang from the ceiling inside the Lewisburg Children's Museum. While many people associate lights with Christmas, there are other holidays celebrated around the world that include shining displays. That's why museum staff created the 'Celebration of Lights' pop-up exhibit.
"It focuses on all of the winter holidays around the world that have something to do with light, obviously Christmas, but then we include Diwali, Hanukkah, and Kwanza, and this year we've incorporated a little bit with Saint Lucia's Day and Lunar New Year," explained Michelle Heintzelman, Education Director at Lewisburg Children's Museum.
Children can visit the museum to explore and learn about different holidays and cultures celebrated worldwide.
"Build and construct symbols of the holidays out of legos and play dough. You can make a craft to take home with like a Kwanzaa candle or a menorah. You can add an ornament to our community Christmas tree, and then we have QR codes and informational things for them to scan and learn some of the songs and facts of each holiday," said Heintzelman.
Heintzelman says this is more than just a lesson for children. It is a chance for everyone in the area to learn about other cultures.
"Even people who maybe just don't celebrate Christmas or want to celebrate more of a multicultural approach take a different multicultural approach to the holiday; we just try to have something for everybody cause we want everybody to feel included and have something to learn and play with here at the museum," said Heintzelman.
Heintzelman also put her personal touch on the exhibit.
"I have had a lot of personal travel experiences, and it's nice to be able to put some of those into the activities here at the museum so that the kids can learn about all these other countries that maybe they haven't visited yet," said Heintzelman
The Celebration of Lights pop-up exhibit will be open at the Lewisburg Children's Museum through December 30th.