Rochester Children's Museum opens this week

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — With its brightly painted wall — and hopes for a bright future ahead — the Minnesota Children's Museum in Rochester is opening this week.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin reports Tuesday (http://bit.ly/HOunSQ) that it took six years of planning to make the museum a reality. It also got a boost from a two-year, $700,000 startup grant approved during the last legislative session.

The museum, designed to appeal to kids from infancy to age 8, is set to open at 9 a.m. Thursday. It will include hands-on exhibits and activities to foster learning in everything from math to physics and drawing.

A life sciences exhibit will be introduced in May, featuring newly hatched chicks.

Museum director Dawn Devine says exhibits will change frequently in hopes of encouraging repeat visitors.

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