At a recent press conference held at Providence Children’s Museum, adults took a backseat as children took over the new exhibit, Big Block Party — an interactive experience designed to encourage kids to embrace the art of play.

Upbeat music greeted visitors at the entrance of the museum on Dec. 5, during the unveiling of Big Block Party. There was a smell of pizza in the air and a caterer greeting everyone to ask if they wanted a mini pizza or some pigs in a blanket. The party began.

The adults gathered near the exhibit’s entrance while the children squeezed past them, heading straight for the large blue blocks scattered on the floor. It was as if they instinctively knew what to do as soon as they touched the blocks. The kids began building, creating, and exploring together, as though they had known each other for years.

Welcome to the exhibit

This exhibit came to life through a partnership with Imagination Playground and is funded by a grant from Rhode Island Commerce, with additional support from the Armrest Foundation. The oversized blue blocks were created by Providence’s Imagination Playground – a portable play system designed to foster child-directed, unstructured play. The collection includes bricks, cylinders, chutes, channels, and connecting pieces.

As the kids continued to explore, one child attempted to climb the blocks, prompting an adult to intervene. Another child tried to start a tug-of-war, and once again, a parent stepped in to stop the play. Meanwhile, the children dove into the blocks, rolling large blue cylinders toward the adults, sending them tumbling into each other.

The adults shuffled around awkwardly, unsure how to react as blocks flew through the air and rolled toward their feet. The kids, however, were having a blast.

As the press conference began, speakers took their turns at the microphone, but the children remained focused on the oversized blue blocks. One child pulled a long blue cylinder from its slot in the wall, sending it flying upward and briefly blocking the podium where Joe Wilson Jr., director of the Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism for the City of Providence, was speaking. He paused, smiled, and commented on the kids' playfulness.

“This is the coolest press conference I’ve ever been to,” Wilson said, prompting applause and laughter from the adult audience.

Wilson’s speech reflected on what it means to be a kid and engage in unstructured play. The children’s actions seemed to demonstrate his message. He encouraged the adults in the room to reconnect with their inner child. “I spent a lot of money as an adult to learn how to be a kid again,” he said, gesturing toward the exhibit inviting everyone in the room to rediscover the joy of play through the children’s unstructured play.

Come visit Big Block Party!

As the press conference drew to a close, the floor was handed over to the kids, who seemed to believe the adults had interrupted their event.

Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” played over the loud speakers with the lyrics “Watch me dance the night away, dance the night away,” playing over and over as visitors exited the museum. Big Block Party opened to the public on Dec. 6 and will continue to offer children the opportunity to connect through unstructured play during the museum’s hours of operation. They are invited to build, explore, connect, and reinvent through the power of imagination - parents are welcome to find their “inner child” and join them in play.

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