Calling all Turtles! Leap to the rescue and learn collaboration and problem-solving with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewer, a new exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The heroes in a half shell first hit the scene in 1984 as a self-published comic book. Soon after, the turtle team was turned into a cartoon for television, and then into an action movie, followed by toys and other merch. The things that made the reptilian heroes popular nearly four decades ago continue to stand the test of time: humor, ninja skills and teamwork.
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Who doesn’t love a battle between good and evil, especially when the Turtles have such unique skills and personalities?
“Kids love to identify with the Turtles as they discover their own strengths and learn about the talents of their friends and family,” says Dom Oletti, an exhibit developer for the museum. “In this exhibit, children and families will realize that they can accomplish more as a team than they could by themselves. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will show families that this is a lesson they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
Families can join the team and train alongside the Turtles and Master Splinter in their underground lair. In the dojo, Splinter and Raphael show visitors the value of hard work, practice and the importance of understanding their enemies in order to defeat them.
Grownups can use the skills of each Turtle to teach their little ones that good leaders coordinate others’ skills and strengths to overcome challenges. Families can take a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle personality quiz to discover which Turtle they most relate to. Are they a leader like Leonardo, an inventor like Donatello, rough and tough like Raphael or fun-loving like Michelangelo?
Along the way, visitors discover how hard work and discipline can prepare them to meet all kinds of challenges. Explain how self-awareness and focus are important skills. As the kids explore, teach them how to take in their surroundings and prepare for surprises. Educators believe this kind of fun play can help children process things they might encounter in the real world. It is also important for kids to make mistakes and learn from them. For example, watch how Michelangelo uses his sense of humor to get through some sticky situations. In the exhibit, children and adults can practice their own shredding skills on balance board skateboards.
Once you’ve seen the secrets of the Turtles’ sewer lair, have fun creating your own superhero hideout at home. Start by asking the kids to draw what they think would be a perfect hideaway and ask them what kinds of things they might need to make it a reality. Encourage them to create a new invention that might help them fight evil like Donatello. That could open up a whole new part of their imaginations if they checked out books from the library about real life inventors to learn about things that changed the world.
