Childrens Museum Of The Desert

Like many businesses and nonprofit organizations, Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert (CDMOD) made the difficult decision to close its doors for public safety in mid-March. 

“CDMOD is a private, nonprofit institution that depends on memberships, daily admissions sales, and program enrollment as a majority of its revenue,” said Carol E. Scott, CEO of CDMOD. “This shutdown will be difficult for us to bounce back from. We had to postponed the All-American Discovery Duck Pluck, our signature spring fundraiser. We also had to make a gut-wrenching decision to furlough 25 employees. But, we trust that when stay-at-home orders are lifted, members and donors will come back and support us. In the meantime, we want to offer the community all we can.”


“We need each other more than ever right now,” said Scott. “The museum has been a place families have come to rely on for safe family fun for nearly 30 years. And, although we are closed during the pandemic, we are still a community resource and a parental partner by offering children meaningful, constructive playtime activities.” 

Now, “Discover at Home”  programming is offered virtually on CDMOD’s website and its social media platforms. The museum is creating videos for IGTV  and Facebook  Live segments, which are archived on the website for later viewing.


Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, and Saturdays at 10 a.m., Gregoria Rodriguez, Chief Programs and Exhibits Officer, leads a toddler/elementary-age story time. The “Full STEAM Ahead!” video series offers activities inspired by science, technology, engineering, art, and math. “Home Cooking Junior” features fun, kid-friendly recipes. All hands-on activities will consider items already likely at home and make suggestions for substitutions, to minimize leaving the house during the stay-at-home orders. Material lists needed for STEAM and cooking activities are posted in advance on social media platforms, to ensure participants have time to prepare.

Another social post creating a buzz is the museum’s conversation starters. Each Monday, CDMOD’s Instagram and Facebook pages have a question or concept (in both English and Spanish) that parents can ask their kids to get those creative juices flowing, such as, “If you had one million marshmallows, what would you build?” Participants are encouraged to share their responses on the CDMOD social media pages.

“We really miss our families at the museum, and we want to stay engaged. We can't wait to be able to open the doors and have the families come play at the museum,” said Rodriguez.

All online activities are offered at no charge to the community, but donations are greatly appreciated.