Give Kids The World Village unveils Mayor Clayton's WonderLab for children with critical illnesses
Give Kids The World Village has expanded its offerings with the opening of Mayor Clayton's WonderLab, an immersive STEAM activity centre.
Give Kids The World Village is one of the top-rated U.S. charities, having received Charity Navigator's highest rating for 18 consecutive years. The organisation's mission is to create happiness, inspire optimism, and ignite a sense of hope in children with critical illnesses and their families.
This new addition aims to inspire curiosity and collaboration among children with critical illnesses and their families, who visit the 89-acre nonprofit resort for week-long wish vacations at no cost.
The WonderLab features a variety of interactive experiences designed to stimulate creativity and learning. The centre includes six distinct areas, each providing unique educational opportunities and encouraging hands-on engagement.
The Lab Access area serves as the entrance, greeting families with an animatronic robot of Mayor Clayton, the Village's bunny mayor, and introducing them to the activities and learning tools available. The Hub showcases the Brilliance Bottler, a feature powered by children's wonder and imagination.
Tech 101 offers activities such as 3D printing, stop motion video creation, button and sticker-making, and weaving with 3D printed handlooms. The Test & Try Lab is designed for collaboration and features Spark-e animatronics, paper aeroplane R&D, spherical robot obstacle courses, hydraulic machine building, and printmaking.
The Puzzle Portal is a 270-degree round room for collaborative games and vertical puzzle building. The Volts & Bolts Studio provides hands-on opportunities to learn about building animatronics.
The WonderLab incorporates imaginative storytelling through the "Wonderbots" – Wonder (Won), Imagination (Mage), and Possibility (Bil) – three robot characters that help keep the children's creativity flowing into the Brilliance Bottler.
The WonderLab was developed by Give Kids The World Chief Innovative Officer Ian Cole, Manager of Experiential Education Christie Miga, and Evan Miga, founder of MigaMe, the company responsible for the WonderLab's concept and design.
"The WonderLab is designed to spark new interests, excitement, and hope for teens and tweens who visit Give Kids The World Village as part of our ongoing effort to create magical experiences and unforgettable memories for every member of the family," said Ian Cole.
The creation of the WonderLab involved collaboration with various partners, including MigaMe, Garner Holt Productions, Garner Holt Education Through Imagination, Visual Terrain, Bambu Labs, Alcorn McBride, QSYS, PolyMaker, American Filament, and several others.
Students from Osceola High School in Kissimmee, FL also contributed by designing and prototyping all the pipes in the Puzzle Portal.
