Reality came in like a force this week.  After working through our design concept with the team at Madison Taylor, we have this stunning visual to put out in to the world.

When I first brought this project to Madison, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do.  Or at least, I thought I did.  The magical part about working with a skilled and inspired team is that they take your vision and bring it to a place outside of what you ever could have imagined.

The Hot Air Balloon concept was the first original concept they showed me, and I was in love. We all were.  In that moment we knew we had something special and I couldn’t wait to see what we would be able to accomplish together.

Fast forward a year and we are done!  Construction starts this month and all our dreams are coming to life.

We are excited to hear your thoughts!

Steph S.

The post A Peak Inside appeared first on Curio.

T-8 days until I take the keys to 462 Bayfield Street, Curio HQ, and this journey takes on a whole new life.

Throughout the month of November, you can expect to see us there a lot. Tearing it all down. Getting it ready to build back up. Check out some of our inspiration on our Pinterest page where we have a handful of our vision boards posted.

I’ve waited for this day for MONTHS, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you.

I am ready for this day, I am ready to start this chapter, I am ready to see this vision come to life. I hope you are too.

Stay tuned for a flood of progress pictures and stories, sorry #notsorry

Please like and share whenever you can, spread the message that Curio is coming!

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The One With The Keys appeared first on Curio.

Curio Exploration Hub + Madison Taylor Design

When I decided to launch Curio, I knew I was going to need help.

Like, a lot of help. Help from my family, help from my friends, and help from the community.

My community support has come in the form of Madison Taylor. Working with Madison and her team has been a truly remarkable experience, and I am so proud and grateful for all the work they have done for us and continue to do to bring Curio to life.

This video collaboration with Madison Taylor Design and FlyPress Films is a gift I will forever be grateful for. We had so much fun making it and we can’t wait for you all to watch it!

Thank you to all those close to me who made it possible.  My uber supportive family, our encouraging friends, our very first employee Miss Julia and the talented teams of Madison Taylor Design and FlyPressFilms

And a special thank you to my two loves Cole and Mabel and all the kiddos who filled this video with joy and heart. We can’t wait to begin this journey of bringing a Children’s Museum to Barrie!

Dedicated to the mama who fills me with courage and strength everyday, and shines bright in the hearts of all of us.

Enjoy

xo

Steph S.

The post The One with a Video! appeared first on Curio.

I began the location search for Curio in the summer of 2018.  With each new space I toured I thought, “this is it!”.  I was over eager, incredibly excited and had my sparkly new blinders on that shielded me from just about everything ;). I couldn’t wait to secure a space and build my dream.

But, I was reminded to take my pauses, slow it down and make sure I committed to a location that would fulfill everything I had hoped for.

In my mind, I wanted to deliver to the community a boutique Children’s Museum that would become a part of a families weekly or monthly routine, much like athletics.  In order to do that, our location needed to be centrally located among retailers that often occupy that ever long weekend “to-do” list.

Enter, SmartCentres.

When I came across an empty space off of Bayfield Street, my first thought was how incredibly unrealistic it seemed to neighbour chains such as Walmart, Carter’s, Reitmans, Loblaws, Old Navy. How was I suppose to make this work?

Even after our very first conversation about Curio, the Leasing Team for SmartCentres expressed excitement about having us as part of their development, and so began the negotiations of our space.  A few tense moments, a little bit of doubt and a whole lot of anticipation and excitement later, and here we are.

462 Bayfield Street North, Barrie ON.  Our new home!

Construction will start this fall, and everyone is working hard to open Curio this year!  Stay tuned for updates as we go.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The One With The Location appeared first on Curio.

It took me some time to really define what Curio is; are we a children’s play centre, a fun recreation space, a learning resource? In our early stages of promoting Curio I stuck to “Exploration Hub”, followed by a handful of sentences to describe what my over all plan was.  My message and delivery tweaked slightly each time I opened my mouth as I fumbled for the right words.  Not exactly what you want when launching a new business.

I was fighting the term Children’s Museum for a few reasons; the first is that we aren’t categorized as not for profit, the second is our size of 4000 square feet. But the third and most important one (in my mind) was that is was hard to believe I was going to be the first at something.  I stumbled on my own insecurities as I tried to normalize what is was that I was doing. But I’m ready to get out of my own way and say it how it is, Curio will be a Children’s Museum with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.

When you Google the term this is what you find, according to Wikipedia (I know I know, not always a trustworthy source, but in this cause I think we’re safe).

Children’s museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children’s museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be manipulated by children. The theory behind such exhibits is that activity can be as educational as instruction, especially in early childhood.

There you have it, a perfectly succinct way to describe Curio and all that it aspires to be.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post What is a Children’s Museum? appeared first on Curio.

This was the first of a handful of “on location” events we are participating in this year, and we had a blast!

The build up to Celebrate Barrie was filled with so much excitement for us and we hope everyone who stopped to play enjoyed a few highlights from our Build Hub.

In anticipation of our launch this fall, we are taking the opportunity to join the community to learn more about what the children of Barrie are looking for in their next play space.  On hand was our Medium Blue Blocks from Imagination Playground, our felt and magnetic tiles from Feltro and beautifully handmade wooden blocks and puzzles from Raduga Grez.  Kids came in all different ages and our hearts were filled as we watched the magic happen.  Collaboration, creativity and critical thinking were on display as all of our open-ended toys were turned into amazing creations; robots, vehicles, castles, tunnels, binoculars, towers and so much more.

We will post future events on Facebook and Instagram, stay connected with us if you would like to see us this summer.

Our beautiful day was captured by Nat Caron, Brand Photographer

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post Celebrate Barrie appeared first on Curio.

This process is an amazing ride and it is going at WARP SPEED! We’ve thought that the best way to make sure our community doesn’t miss out on updates is to send out newsletters.  Maybe monthly? We don’t want to inundate or exhaust you, but it’s important to me that you see it all.

We’ll do our best to update social media, but please sign up for the newsletter to make sure you are a part of the communication and are first to know about important events, design concepts, launch details and programming curriculum.

CLICK HERE to view our Stay Curio-s, May Edition.

And scroll down to the bottom of our website to subscribe.

Thank you for today.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The Newsletter appeared first on Curio.

Each step along the way I knew we could stop. Anytime. Just stop.  Until one day, we couldn’t.

It’s comical really to think about how fast it happened.  One day we’re on vacation in sunny California having a magical day with the family at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, and the next I am sharing Curio with my small piece of the world on social media.  In reality there were 10 months in between the two, but as I look back now it feels like yesterday.

The steps in between are starting to become a blur, but the fear has always been there.  It has been the quiet voice inside me that creeps up after each confident conversation I have with my spouse, after each excited discovery I share with friends and after each pitch to a new business partner I so desperately want to work with. As excited as I am, I am scared that I am risking too much and that the vision I have in my mind won’t be as well received as I need it to be or that I won’t be able to fully execute it.

But the funny thing about fear is that if you don’t let it paralyze you, it can be your strongest ally. It reminds you that what you are working for is worth it. It reminds you, that you are worth it. It pushes you to overcome it.

So, I continue on with my confident voice and my excited ideas and my perfect pitches and I take that fear and turn it into drive, into passion, into my future.

I am grateful today for the support we are given, it means more than any word I could articulate.  And it helps keep that fear quiet just a little longer.

Thank you for today.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The One With The Fear appeared first on Curio.

An interesting part of the process of creating your own path in life, is that you are given the opportunity to find your voice and speak it out loud. And maybe, if you are really lucky people will listen and feel a sense of togetherness.  A sense of community.

As I develop our curriculum, I am given the time and space to pen my thoughts on how I’d like the learning of our visitors structured.  I think of my own kids and how I’d love for them to spend everyday of their youngest years.

I’ve got my hopes resting on four philosophies that will form the foundation of how Curio approaches our guests to help enhance their experience with us.

Play

Play is at the heart of everything we do. Children are given the time and space to benefit from unstructured free play. Explore, Imagine, Collaborate, Wonder, Believe.  A time for children to take already acquired skills to a new level giving them a more complex understanding of the world around them.

Intention

Intentional learning allows children to benefit from goal setting along side thoughtful execution. Adults combine the learning philosophies within our curriculum to mold a path for each participant.

Exploration

Playful experimentation allows children to explore the worlds around them. When children learn by doing, they build a strong understanding of concepts associated with their every day lives. Hands on exploration and learning leads to a deeper connection to materials and subjects.

Child – Led

An environment that allows children to take charge of their learning by exploring topics and activities that are meaningful to them. Adults play an important role in child-led learning by asking provocative questions, making suggestions or setting up appropriate learning environments.

Over time I suspect these philosophies will change and adapt, but for now they will create our roadmap as we move forward.

We’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment below if you have anything to add.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The Philosophy appeared first on Curio.

S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) thinking begins in infancy. Through our research with the Centre for Childhood Creativity, it is clear that there are a lot of opportunities in front of us to bring these skills to our youth.

Children are naturally curious, born eager to explore and discover how the world works. It is our goal and intention to provide them with resources that will continue to support that curiosity while developing critical thinking skills.

Over the next few months we will be developing our exploration hubs, designed to inspire creative thinking and child led play.

Stay Curio-s

Steph S.

The post The Opportunity appeared first on Curio.