Marie Miller, a mother of two, said that she realized Kingston needed more family spaces after taking her children to various children’s museums and seeing “how they are thriving and they're safe and they're having a good time.”

Miller co-founded of My Green Museum, gathering a team of educators and people with nonprofit and artistic backgrounds to try and open a children’s museum in the city. The group is hosting its first community-facing event at the O+ Exchange Clinic. On the weekend of Aug. 7, the group featured a pop-up to show what a children’s museum might look like in Kingston. That exhibit will repeat on the weekend of Aug. 14.

Zebi Williams, a board member and longtime educator, designed the exhibit with recycled materials, donated items and assistance from volunteers. The pop-up included a local grocery store, cafe and kitchen for children to roleplay with. Some props, such as paper-mâché fruits and vegetables, were made by the board. Miller said that sustainability is a major focus for the museum, which motivated them to use materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“I went to children's museums as a kid, so when you could roleplay and take on professional things like running a market or being a chef, those were things that were very exciting,” Williams said. “Then there's conversations about where does your food come from, how far does it travel, who are the people growing your food.”

The exhibit also includes a reading corner and a sensory area with crafted trees, a tent and a fireplace. Children can also gather eggs from stuffed chickens and make crafts out of cardboard at a “trash lab.”

Miller said they hope to start fundraising next year, with the goal of finding a space. They are also seeking more board members and advisory board members, and hope to connect with the Spanish-speaking and immigrant community. Updates will be posted on the MyGreenMuseum website.

“The ideal space will be indoor and outdoor,” Miller said. “We're just trying to build community, build our base, hear from families what they want, hear from educators, seeing what the need is, what location people are hoping it will be, what type of games and activities children are drawn to.”